Burial at Sea: Buried Alive
by UberVenkman
Summary: Over a year has passed since Elizabeth met her fate, left to die alone in a crumbling city with only a Little Sister to comfort her. But the situation has changed: Elizabeth has a new chance to get out of Rapture, and will stop at nothing to make things right. But a new adversary stands in her way—a weary altruist with objectives of her own...
1. The Better End

The circle was broken.

Booker was living somewhere in New York, reunited with Anna, struggling to repay his debts, but never forgetting what she would've gone through had he made the deal.

Sally would be saved by Jack, and would live out her life in Upstate New York, never forgetting the man who adopted her and the woman who protected her with her life.

And as for Elizabeth? She had saved Sally at the cost of her life, lying dead in the underwater city of Rapture.

Dead…or was she?

It all began with the spiraling tunnel…

* * *

Elizabeth gasped as she hit the ground. She felt very dizzy, but managed to push herself up on her feet. The air smelled distinctly of mold, and the floor was damp.

Looking around, she noticed she had emerged from the Vita-Chamber in Suchong's Lab. How was that possible? Her genetic code wasn't in Rapture's system.

Suddenly, her radio crackled to life. _"Try to relax,"_ came a calming voice with a German accent. _"The Vita-Chamber you are emerging from was a prototype, so you might not have come out right as rain. Try to find a health station."_

Elizabeth stumbled through the laboratory, leaning onto the wall as much as possible. Everything was so cloudy, it was impossible to make the slightest movement without feeling the need to vomit. She paused to look at the hole in the wall she had climbed through to her death.

_"__Why do you stand there?!"_ the voice shouted. She really wished it hadn't. _"If you want to leave Rapture, you need to do as I say!"_

"How the hell do I know I can trust you?" Elizabeth grunted, finding the exit and a health station.

_"__Because I'm your ticket out of here!"_ the voice shouted with increased frustration. There was a pause, and she cleared her throat. _"Forgive me, Fräulein Comstock. I am—"_

"Don't call me Comstock," Elizabeth managed to say as she inserted some money into the health station. A needle came down and inserted some liquid into her arm. Her head cleared, and the nausea stopped. "I've had to live up to that name. Just…call me Elizabeth."

_"__Very well, Elizabeth. I am Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum."_

Visions of a silhouetted woman behind a pane of glass flashed through Elizabeth's head. "Of course," she said, eyes widening. "You're the one who protected the Little Sisters and helped Jack defeat Fontaine."

There was a pause. _"How in the world did you know that?"_ Tenenbaum asked. _"You've been dead for over a year, you weren't around when that happened!"_

"Over a y…" Elizabeth trailed off, shocked. "Wait…why am I even alive?"

_"__Because you got out of the Vita-Ch___—_"_

"I know I got out of the Vita-Chamber! But my genetic code shouldn't even be in the system!"

_"__It was put there."_

"By whom?!"

_"__There were two people: a man and a woman. They gave me a vial of your DNA and the hacking codes to the Vita-Chamber system. I was unable to upload you until after Ryan's son defeated Fontaine, as I had my Little Ones to attend to."_

"Why did you do what they asked?"

_"Well...I had been ob__serving you,"_ Tenenbaum admitted. _"I saw how you protected one of the Little Sisters, Sally, against all odds. I suppose I owe you a favor. Take the bathysphere in Suchong's clinic to the Welcome Center. I will meet you there." _

Elizabeth began to move back towards the lab when she looked down at her right hand. "My pinky…" she said in shock. No longer was it whole: part of it was now covered by a thimble.

_"__Elizabeth? Elizabeth, what's wrong?"_

Suddenly, Elizabeth felt fatigued. Some blood dripped out from her nose as she remembered.

* * *

Sally sat by Elizabeth's body. She didn't quite comprehend why the woman protected her, but she understood that she had died for it.

Suddenly, she heard footsteps coming down the hallway. Looking around, she saw two people, a man and a woman, walk up. They casually acknowledged Sally and turned their attention to Elizabeth.

"Disappointing."

"What? That she succeeded?"

"No, that's far from disappointing. I knew she would."

"And you also knew she wouldn't."

"Correction: behind a different door she wouldn't. Behind this one, she did."

"Than what exactly is disappointing to you?"

"She died."

An awkward pause.

"Well, now you're just stating the obvious. But, as they say, all's well that ends well."

"It didn't end well, she doesn't deserve this."

"And Comstock didn't deserve a legion of followers, and that's what he got, right?"

"Comstock was insane. What do you have to say about her?"

"Well, I can imagine quantum-superposition can flush one's rational thought down the toilet."

"But she wasn't exactly in a state of quantum-superposition anymore."

"But it was a heroic death."

"Since when did you believe in heroics?"

"When you started believing in them. Right about now…"

"…sometimes I hate it when our minds are in sync."

"And now I do too. Regardless, there is something we can do."

Rosalind pulled out a syringe, bent down, and inserted it into Elizabeth's arm. She pulled out some blood and inserted it into a vial. She turned towards Sally. "Might I borrow you for a moment, dear?"

Sally tilted her head in confusion.

"I only wish to use your blood," Rosalind said bluntly.

Sally blinked, but held up her arm. "Ow!" she vocalized as Rosalind inserted the needle and pulled out some ADAM. She placed the ADAM in the vial and shook it up.

"There," she said. "Perfect for uploading into the Vita-Chamber system."

"Now we need to bring it to someone we can trust," Robert said. "And I think I know just the person. Let us depart."

"You're not saying we're leaving her behind, are you?" Rosalind asked, pointing to Sally.

"Of course not," Robert said. He bent down. "Hold my hand, little one." He noticed her doll. "Ah, a bit gruesome, I believe. Let me fix that first." He reattached the doll's head to its body, then lifted Sally up.

Rosalind looked at Elizabeth. "Two bodies, same DNA, same universe," she noted. "Which one will be revived by the Vita-Chamber?"

Robert thought about this. "There's much to say about both, isn't there?" he replied. "But she won't be able to control all the doors yet. That will come with time."

"Like her mental conditioning?" Rosalind asked, motioning to Sally.

"Exactly like her mental conditioning."

And with that, they disappeared, leaving Elizabeth's body to the elements.

* * *

_"__Elizabeth, are you alright?"_

"I'm just…grateful," Elizabeth said. "Listen…where is Sally? Is she with you...?"

_"__Not anymore, I'm afraid: I sent her up with Ryan's son. Do you wish to see her when we get to the surface?"_

"No, I…I think she's better off not seeing me," Elizabeth said. "Not for a long time."

She reached the bathysphere dock. Looking around, she noticed two dead bodies lying in the newspaper stand, instead of the one from before. Atlas must've seen no need for his guard there.

"No need for a gun, then," she muttered, stealing his. "You can never be too careful down here."

* * *

The bathysphere dove into the water and began to make its way towards the Rapture Welcome Center.

_"__Fräulein Elizabeth, you still have not answered my question. How did you know about Ryan's son?"_

Elizabeth sat on the cushion, considering her options. "Some secrets are better off as secrets," she replied.

_"__I've kept nothing from you as of yet."_

She sighed. "There was a time where everything was served to me on a silver platter. Any meal I could eat, every book I could read, and a friend who would never leave me."

_"__And?"_

"It was all a lie. A prison to keep me submissive to those who wanted to control me. One day a man came and released me from this prison. That man, it seems, was my father."

_"__Heroic act."_

"It was he who got me into that position in the first place."

_"__I'm not quite sure how…"_ Tenenbaum's voice was covered by static.

"Dr. Tenenbaum? Dr. Tenenbaum!"

Still static. Suddenly, it cleared, and a different voice came.

_"__Many stories tell of a woman who mysteriously appeared in Fontaine's Department Store before the Civil War,"_ it said. _"Suchong was quoted as saying she would be a valuable asset to the science of Rapture. Poor fellow never saw the light of day on that topic."_

"Who are you?" Elizabeth asked, puzzled.

_"__My name is Sofia Lamb."_

Visions of a woman forcing a Big Daddy to shoot himself in the head flashed through Elizabeth's head. Further images of someone drowning in a bathysphere alongside a Big Sister came next.

"I know what you want," she said darkly. "You want my abilities. To help you run the Rapture Family."

Lamb paused. _"I cannot think of a reason why you would know that,"_ she said after a moment. _"But since you do, perhaps your talents could be put to good use."_

"You wouldn't get a drop of what I can do," Elizabeth retorted.

_"Then perhaps I can appeal to your pleasant side. __You have seen the fall of Rapture.__ You can see its rebirth. The Rapture Family needs a prophet, and you...you seem to fit the bill just fine."_

Elizabeth clenched her fists. "Let me tell you something about prophets," she growled. "They are lying bastards. They will do everything to protect their beliefs, even if it means harming others. I don't care what sort of religion your Rapture Family wants, I will NEVER help a person like you."

For a moment, there was silence.

_"Very well,"_ Lamb replied. _"It was pleasant doing business with you, Miss Comstock."_

A distant rumble was heard. Elizabeth peered out the window. Something was coming at her, and fast.

"What the hell is that?!" she shouted.

_"__That is a torpedo, Miss Comstock,"_ Lamb replied calmly. _"It probably won't kill you. The sudden pressure change will. And if not that, the water flooding your lungs. If I were you, I would take a deep breath and hold it."  
_

Elizabeth looked around. There had to be a way to escape alive. Maybe the bathyspheres had a diving suit or something.

She lifted a seat cushion. Bingo. Emergency diving suit. Elizabeth clambered into it, placed the helmet on, and pulled the bathysphere lock. But the door wouldn't budge!

"Shit, it opens outwards," she cursed. The torpedo was getting closer and closer every second.

Elizabeth had used tears to jump everywhere. Did she have the power to create one right now? She shut her eyes, concentrated, and tried as hard as she could to open the tear.

* * *

The next thing she knew, she was floating in the water. Turning around, she saw the torpedo collide with the bathysphere, destroying it where it floated.

Elizabeth smiled in triumph. But as she began to swim back towards the city, she felt her nose start to bleed.

The radio crackled to life. _"Curious, isn't it?"_ Robert Lutece said. _"Her tear abilities are back."_

_"Yet they seem to be a curse rather than a gift."_

_"A penny for a penny, apparently."_

_"You can't have god-like powers without having god-like consequences."_

_"Be weary, child. Try too hard, and you might find yourself someplace not so nice. And it won't be a Vita-Chamber this time."_


	2. Spare No One

Elizabeth's experience with the tear in the bathysphere seemed promising. But the Lutece Twins' warning about overworking herself left her somewhat reluctant to try opening a tear to the Welcome Center.

_"Elizabeth?!"_ The very welcome voice of Dr. Tenenbaum echoed in her helmet._ "Elizabeth?! Are you alright?"_

"I'm fine!" she called into the radio. "I'm using a bathysphere emergency diving suit!"

_"__Well, this certainly complicates matters. Those aren't designed for extended exposure to the elements."  
_

"So I can't just swim to the surface?"

_"__I wouldn't recommend it. The oxygen wouldn't last, and you risk contracting the bends. Your best chance at survival is to return to the city and make your way to the Welcome Center on foot. There should be an airlock in Neptune's Depot, start swimming that way."_

Elizabeth sighed and began to swim.

_"__You still didn't finish telling me…"_ Tenenbaum started to say before the radio went to static again.

"I don't want to hear your preachings, Lamb!" Elizabeth shouted.

_"__Preach? Dear me, I'm not here to preach,"_ Lamb replied politely. _"I want to know why you're still alive."_

"I'm a survivor," Elizabeth replied. "I won't get defeated by some power-hungry sociopath. I've seen plenty before."

_"__And yet you're on your way back to Rapture, a city built by power-hungry sociopaths, including myself, if your opinion of me is to be considered fact. I can see you, Miss Comstock. Wave to that tower on your left. I'm waving back."_

"You can't kill me from there, Lamb, the targeting system on your torpedoes is primitive. It wouldn't get a lock on me."

_"__Primitive as opposed to what, might I ask?"_

Elizabeth was silent.

_"__I can't say I understand the nature of your abilities,"_ Lamb said slowly. _"But what I do understand is this: your knowledge poses a risk to me and to my work. I can't possibly let you live."_

"Then why not kill me?"

_"__Because as you said: I can't. But you…you're a special case. You escaped a torpedo, you survived that cursed Fontaine, and you didn't drown. My prophet offer stands…"_

"Hah. What will I be? The Lamb of Rapture?"

_"__There's only room for one lamb, Elizabeth, and it sure as hell is not you. Side with me, and you might stand a chance of making it to the surface alive."  
_

"One lamb? What about your daughter Eleanor? She's bound for great things, I'm sure." And she wasn't being sarcastic: she knew exactly what Eleanor was going to do one day.

_"__Eleanor's time will come. Right now, though, we are talking about you. This is my final offer, Elizabeth. Next time we encounter each other, it will be under considerably less enjoyable circumstances."_

"Go fuck yourself."

_"…__very well then. May the best player win."_

Lamb's signal cut out.

* * *

She didn't remove the whole diving suit. With Rapture crumbling to bits and most of her dress tattered and bloodied from the events of the past few days_—_or rather, a few days that had occurred over a year ago_—_wearing a diving suit was the better option, even if the oxygen tank was quite heavy on her back.

This was a very strange diving suit to say the least. It could withstand the pressure of the ocean like a Big Daddy suit (a lining of very strong armor did the trick) yet one could move more freely in it. It also had a small hole in just below the palm for inserting EVE and health needles.

She paused, hearing footsteps and some cackling from the hallway. "Splicers," she muttered to herself. She wasn't exactly armed for combat: in her haste to climb into the diving suit, she had left her gun in the bathysphere.

Looking around, she noticed a large hammer lying abandoned next to a toolbox. She grabbed it and leaned against the wall, out of sight from the splicer walking towards her.

The splicer walked out, and glanced over to his right. No one there. And that was all he saw, for Elizabeth knocked him out with a blow to the back of his head.

"You won't be needing these," she muttered, grabbing his gun (another pistol), a health needle, and some EVE. She paused, looking at the vial with surprise. "Dr. Tenenbaum, didn't these use to come in the drinkable kind?" she asked into the radio.

_"__Dr. Suchong developed those while I was in hiding,"_ Dr. Tenenbaum replied. _"From what I've heard, the drinkable kind used up too many of the ADAM producing sea slugs, so the injectables had to do. Be careful with those: they are very addictive, and if you consume too much, you may be susceptible to commands, like 'Would You Kindly.'"_

Elizabeth laughed slightly, and nervously stabbed the EVE needle into her arm.

Suddenly, she dropped the syringe and clenched her stomach in pain.

Visions of her death at the hands of Atlas…no, Frank Fontaine…flashed through her head. She saw the madness in the department store…she remembered the brutality of Sander Cohen…her throat closed up, and she collapsed.

_"__Elizabeth! Listen to my voice! You're having an allergic reaction to the injectable EVE!"_

_Perfect_, Elizabeth thought to herself.

_"__Use a health needle! It'll give you a sudden burst of adrenaline, that should stop the reaction and void any side effects!"_

She grasped around, found her health needle, and slammed it into her arm. Her throat opened up and she relaxed.

"Of all things I could be allergic to," Elizabeth grunted as she stood up. "A bee, flowers, peanuts…I have to be allergic to INJECTABLE EVE?!"

_"__There were a couple of incidents with allergic reactions to the injectables: Suchong's oxidization agents apparently alleviated the reaction. Keep some of those health vials on hand: they'll give you a good burst of adrenaline that will stop the reaction."_

Elizabeth looked at the health vial. "What, no EpiPens in Rapture?"

_"What are EpiP..." _Tenenbaum trailed off.

"What is it?"

_"__Stay low, there are some Splicers coming down the hallway."_

"Well, forget staying low. I need weapons, and those Splicers probably have guns that are better than this pistol."

_"__I appreciate your thinking, but those who have guns better than a pistol are likely to defeat those who have pistols."_

"Have a little faith, Doc."

_"__Faith is something most of us lost a long time ago."_

"Look, this suit was clearly designed to withstand severe pressure. If someone shoots me, I'm almost certain I will survive the gunshot without damaging the suit too much. I'll take my chances."

_"…__be careful."_

Elizabeth hid behind a wall, waiting. She could hear the Splicers coming down the hallway.

"Not nearly enough fucking ADAM in this damned city," one of them, a man, grunted.

"You worry too much, Angus," the other, a woman, said. "Maybe not enough ADAM to go around, but plenty of others who would gladly give theirs to us. Or rather, we shoot them and then take the ADAM from them."

Elizabeth found herself wondering what these two Splicers had done before their ADAM addiction came to be. There was always a story behind a Splicer: some poor Rapture citizen who had a bit too much ADAM that left him or her insane.

She could probably shoot one Splicer, but two? Doubtful.

They were approaching the room. Quickly, Elizabeth loaded her gun.

The first Splicer entered the room, the man of the couple. Elizabeth raised her gun and managed to get out a single shot that downed him in a second. That was all she managed, for the female Splicer knocked the gun out of her hand and slammed her onto the ground.

"YOU KILLED ANGUS!" the Splicer howled with anguish. She raised her right hand: in it, she held a large meat hook_._ "I'M GONNA TEAR YOU TO PIECES!"

"Good luck with that," Elizabeth grinned as she struggled underneath the Splicer. This thing was no bigger than she was (a Lady Jane, by the looks of it), yet it weighed her down like an anvil. "You wouldn't be able to get through this armor."

"You're so cocky, ya know that?" the Splicer growled. "These emergency diving suits, so fucking immortal in them. Well guess what? They don't stand up so well with blunt force!" She raised her hook and slammed it into Elizabeth's arm. Elizabeth yelped as she felt a bone crack.

"How'd you feel if I sent that into your face?" the Splicer hissed with a grin. She sent her left hand to the helmet and torn it off, exposing Elizabeth's face to the elements. "Well, well…what a pretty picture you make, girly." She moved the hook to the side of Elizabeth's face and pressed the sharp tip against her temple. Blood began to ooze out. "I THINK I'LL KEEP THIS!"

Elizabeth shut her eyes. Concentrating, she imagined a tear that opened up into a huge windstorm.

A moment later, she heard a loud clang. A metal box had flown out from the tear and knocked the Splicer off of Elizabeth.

She stood up, but doubled over as she felt her nose begin to bleed, more than before. That gave the Splicer enough time to jump on her back. Elizabeth, sensing the danger, grabbed the hook and threw it to the side. She stumbled backwards and slammed the Splicer into the wall. Dazed, it loosened its grip. Elizabeth tossed it to away.

The Splicer, shaking its face, stared at Elizabeth, its expression one of pure hatred. It lunged at her again, but this time, Elizabeth sent her fist straight into the Splicer's jaw. It spun around, hitting the wall, then finally sliding down, defeated.

Elizabeth found her gun, armed it, then aimed it at the Splicer's face. It stared at her, its expression not changing as it lay on the ground. The right side of her face looked like it belonged to a movie star, save for the bruise from Elizabeth's punch; the left side, which had been covered by a mask until Elizabeth had knocked it off, was lumpy and bruised, hinting at injuries that had not healed properly.

"Do it," it growled. "Get rid of the uglies. Leave all the beauty for yourself."

Elizabeth thought about this. The Splicer wasn't gonna be moving any time soon: there was no sense in killing it.

Silently, she bent down and began emptying the Splicer's pockets, finding ammunition, but no EVE nor health. Frowning, she began feeling around the rest of the Splicer's body, hoping to find something else of value.

"Hey, what'll Mr. Pretty Girl think?" the Splicer joked. "If it's ADAM you want, I got none. Gonna have to check the guy ya killed."

Elizabeth looked over at the dead one, Angus. Not keeping her gun off of the live one, she found in his pockets two EVE hypos, a health vial, and some ADAM. For a moment she considered using the ADAM. But then she looked back at the Splicer, who was now frowning at her.

"What are you waiting for?!" it hissed.

"What's your name?" Elizabeth asked.

The Splicer growled. "Kat," it said through gritted teeth.

"I'm Elizabeth." She dropped the health vial and the ADAM onto the ground next to Kat. "This is for your injuries."

"That's it?" Kat asked, stunned. "You're just gonna let me walk? ADAM and everything?"

"Not exactly," Elizabeth said, picking up the hook from the ground. She turned it so the blunt end was facing Kat. "I'm not going to kill you, but I have to get out of this city in one piece."

Kat swallowed.

"Don't follow me when you wake up," Elizabeth said as she prepared to hit. "And I'm keeping the hook."

"Hey, do me a favor, hit the lumpy side. A girl likes her face to be at least half-pretty."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Fair enough. I take it that half of your face stands up well with blunt force."

"Ha ha," Kat muttered. And with a slam, she was out cold.

"Nice hook," Elizabeth muttered as she picked up her helmet and began her escape.


	3. The Ritz Hotel

_"__That Splicer—Kat—why did you let her live?"_

Elizabeth tied some fabric around her broken arm to splint it, then stabbed a health needle in. She sighed with relief as the bone mended itself. "Splicers see enough madness," she said as she put her diving suit back on. "I decided I was going to be civil."

_"__Madness is powerful: one act of mercy is not going to stick."_

"Not mercy: humanity."

_"…"_

"That Splicer probably lost everything in the Rapture Civil War. It could only turn to survival. You know the term 'dog eat dog': she hasn't shown or been shown humanity since the start. I'm pretty sure being spared will stick with her long enough."

_"__Perhaps. But what about you leaving the ADAM?"_

"I will NOT let myself become a Splicer. If I go mad—if I become one of them—I want you to make sure I do not get out of Rapture alive."

_"__That is not a promise I will keep. I would gladly lock you in a cage on a surface until I could find a cure to the ADAM addiction if it ensured your eventual survival."_

"Brigid…"

_"__Elizabeth, let me show a little humanity."_

That made Elizabeth smile. "Where am I, by the way?"

_"__You're exiting Neptune's Depot and approaching the Ritz Hotel. A place of luxury until the Splicers came through. The monorail that went through there collapsed some time ago, blocking off the other half of the lobby, so you're going to have to go up."_

* * *

Elizabeth came to an airlock. Taking a deep breath, she pulled a lever. The airlock cycled and opened up into the Ritz Hotel.

For a moment, Elizabeth thought she was staring into a vintage movie, seeing a grand lobby of a hotel, with dancers and people decked out for a ball.

At that moment, the image blurred and Elizabeth felt her nose bleed. She was looking through a tear: a tear that led into a world where the Ritz Hotel hadn't been ruined by the Rapture Civil War. Blinking furiously, she found herself staring at what Tenenbaum had described: a dark lobby with rubble from the collapsed monorail and a few Splicers walking around.

_"__Are you going to show them humanity, too?"_

"I've seen enough for one day. How do I get around the wreckage?"

_"__Take that staircase to your right. The first three floors are blocked off by the wreck, but the fourth should be all clear. Be careful, though: the Splicers are everywhere."_

Elizabeth started to move when she spotted something on the ground. Lying there was a crossbow. And it already had a noisemaker bolt loaded.

"Sweet," she muttered. "And convenient." She aimed it as far away from the staircase as possible, and fired.

"I HEAR YOU!" someone shouted. The Splicers on the ground floor made a dash for the noise. Elizabeth quickly ran up the staircase to the 2nd floor. She listened for a moment.

There were two Splicers arguing in a nearby room. "I want the plasmid! Give it to me!"

"I found it! I'm gonna use it!"

"Use this, moron!"

There was a loud bang.

_"__That doesn't sound good,"_ Tenenbaum commented.

"Right now a plasmid is exactly what I need," Elizabeth replied. "I'm gonna take that one by surprise."

She crawled into the room. The Splicer was now reveling in his success, staring at the plasmid. He was so enamored that he didn't see Elizabeth stand up and slam a hook against his skull. He certainly felt that last part, though.

_"__Good work."_

"He won't be waking up for a while." She picked up the bottle and wiped some dirt off the label. "This plasmid's called 'Teleportation.'"

_"E__xcellent find. That plasmid's legendary."  
_

"How so?"

_"__You'll see. Try it out."_

Elizabeth stabbed the plasmid into her arm before quickly adding a dose of health to alleviate the allergic reaction. She breathed deeply, then look at her left hand. She was surprised to see something poking out. She then looked at the description on the label.

**"****Aim your left hand at a location to fire a target. To teleport yourself to the location of the target, clench your hand and slam it against any surface. For convenience's sake, we recommend that surface be the side of your own body, but the decision is up to you."**

_"__It's very useful in battle," _Tenenbaum explained._ "You can teleport away from the carnage and stock up on ammunition, health, and EVE. I wouldn't recommend using it to travel, it uses up EVE like an Irishman on St. Patrick's Day. But it can still be helpful: you need to be aware if a Splicer is hiding behind a wall, waiting for some poor idiot to reveal him or herself. Try it out."_

Elizabeth aimed at the top of the bed in the room and fired a target onto the covers. She then slammed her clenched fist into her leg. She was shocked to find herself standing on top of the bed.

"This is gonna be fun," Elizabeth muttered to herself.

* * *

The coast seemed cleared outside, so she quickly made her way to the 3rd floor.

Thinking she should take a risk for time's sake, she began to go to the next staircase when…

"HEY! Who's that up on 3rd?!"

Sensing danger, Elizabeth ducked behind the banister. But there were other Splicers on the 3rd floor closing in on her.

They saw her make some weird gesture with her hand and then saw a door to a room close. Thinking they had her surrounded, they clambered into the room to tear her limb from limb.

* * *

Except what they hadn't realized was Elizabeth had teleported from the room back onto the walkway, where she knew the Splicers weren't looking. She then locked herself in another room, safe from harm.

Elizabeth didn't dare exit. Not with those Splicers still out there. She was better off waiting them out for a moment, so she took off her helmet and breathed in the fresh air. Well, fresh as a moldy city can be.

Something was different about this room. It wasn't a real wreck like the others: someone had gone out of their way to make this room look nice even after the city went to hell.

Puzzled, she walked over to the desk and looked at a set of cards. "Property of Angus MacLachlan."

"Angus." Could it be? She noticed an audio diary nearby, dated October 23, 1954. Thinking for a minute, she pressed play.

_"__There's a new cashier down at the pharmacy."_ It was Angus, the Splicer she had killed not long ago. _"Girl named Kat."_

_"__Erm…Elizabeth?"_

"I'm hearing it."

Angus continued, completely oblivious to Tenenbaum and Elizabeth's interruption. _"Pretty girl. Just moved here from the Market District. I got a pack of cigs and her number."_ Angus laughed. _"Nice enough, I gotta say: it gives me an excuse to head down to the pharmacy more often."_ The recording ended.

Thinking for a moment, Elizabeth went over to a nighstand. Pulling open a drawer, she discovered another audio diary, dated December 12, 1954. She pressed play.

She nearly dropped the diary in surprise as she heard the voice of Kat the Splicer emerge from it.

_"Angus is such a sweetheart. He once told me he keeps the pharmacy in business just so he can see me there every day. Well, I suppose seeing me every day wouldn't have to just be at a pharmacy."_

"Cute," Elizabeth muttered.

_"Last night he took me to the Fighting McDonagh's Tavern. We drank, we played pool. It was a good night. I wish we had more like it."_

"That dump?" Elizabeth coughed. "I'm glad I didn't go twice."

_"Hey, I'm trying to listen to this,"_ Tenenbaum muttered.

Kat continued. _"He's a good man. That's all I can really say." _The recording cut out.

Elizabeth noticed a picture of the two Splicers sitting on the nightstand. Only, it wasn't a picture of two Splicers: it was two regular human beings, apparently at a New Years party. Kat was dressed in a white dress, and Angus was in a white suit. They were waving their hands at the camera. Elizabeth took a closer look.

"Well, I'll be damned," she said. "They were engaged."

_"If those diaries are form 1954, I would guess they got married soon afterwards. Think about it: two Splicers, united in normal life, stayed together against all odds."  
_

"When I encountered them their intentions were to kill for ADAM."

_"Addictions notwithstanding."_

"There's a story here," Elizabeth said as she put the diary away. "But I'm not going to find it holed up in this room." She thought about going back to ask Kat, but she figured the Splicer wouldn't be too happy to see her again.

She noticed two plasmids in a nearby bag. Pulling them out, they were titled "Incinerate!" and "Electro Bolt."

"Hope these things are like Devil's Kiss and Shock Jockey," she muttered as she took them. "Alright, I think I'm covered in plasmids department. What's the story outside?"

_"__The Splicers have moved on. I say it's time for you to move."_

Elizabeth looked around the room as she put her helmet back on. "I can tell you one thing, those two stuck around here even after they went nuts."

* * *

She made it to the fourth floor with no trouble. Taking a moment to peer over the banister, she saw the coast was clear on the other side of the crashed monorail. She teleported down and made her way to the front door, her exit from the hotel.

"That's over with," she sighed. She moved forward and nearly ran into two Splicers.

They stood there, frozen with confusion. Then…

"KILL HER!"

"Hey, where'd she go?"

**BANG. BANG.**

"Thank you for the tommy guns," she muttered as she looted the two Splicers.

* * *

She stepped out of the hotel and found herself staring down a street.

Splicers were generally everywhere in Rapture. Hiding in a trash can, jumping out at you in bathrooms. But none were to be seen here. And that worried her.

"Brigid, is there something out here?"

_"__I can't see…someone's jammed the video feed from the camera___—_I'm trying to hack it. Where are you exactly?"_

"I'm on some sort of street. There don't seem to be any Splicers, but something doesn't feel right…"

_"__Hmm…there, hacked. What is—"_

It was at that point that a loud noise, something like a groan, came from the distance, followed by clunky footsteps.

"Uh…" Elizabeth coughed. "Is that what I think it is?"

_"__There's a reason why Splicers don't hang around in certain areas,"_ Tenenbaum said gravely. _"They become a little less dead."_

Elizabeth nervously stepped backwards as the Bouncer Big Daddy and its Little Sister came into view.


	4. Big Daddy

"Uh, Brigid?" Elizabeth asked nervously as she moved even further backwards. The Big Daddy didn't seem to care or even notice she was there, but she wasn't going to stand any closer than twenty feet.

_"__He's not going to attack you unless you pose a threat to him or his Little Sister,"_ Tenenbaum warned. _"I can't give you the plasmid that will cure the girl, though."_

"Meaning?"

Tenenbaum hesitated. _"I __don't like this in the slightest, but your best and quickest chance at survival is to ignore them both and keep going."_

"I won't let them do what they did to Sally."

_"__Elizabeth, they already have. I wish there was more I could do. The Big Daddy will protect the girl."_

"I don't have a very good history with Big Daddies," Elizabeth replied. She pulled up her tommy gun. "Hey, boulder head!"

The Big Daddy glared at Elizabeth. A second later, a blast of bullets hit him in the helmet. Enraged, he charged straight at her.

"Shit!" Elizabeth slid out of the way, leaving the Big Daddy to slam itself against a wall. It stumbled back, dazed.

_"__HAVE YOU GONE MAD?!"_ Tenenbaum shouted.

"We're in Rapture!" Elizabeth replied. "Haven't you heard? Everyone's gone mad!"

The Bouncer spotted Elizabeth, shook off its previous injuries, and made another run. Quickly, Elizabeth launched a jolt of Electro Bolt at it.

_"__It's losing strength! Get a few rounds into it! I'll activate the security bots to give you some firepower!"_

Elizabeth opened fire on the stunned Big Daddy. After getting a few good shots into it, she had to reload. The Bouncer, seeing his chance, ran straight at Elizabeth. But then he was distracted by several security bots opening fire on him. Quickly, Elizabeth fired more Electro Bolt at him before adding on to the spray of bullets he was already facing. The Bouncer howled, and managed to knock several security bots to the ground.

Elizabeth tried to fire Incinerate at the Bouncer, hoping it would distract him long enough for her to reload. As she fired it, she felt the last of her EVE run out.

"Damn it!" she shouted. The Bouncer realized what had happened, and, still burning, charged at Elizabeth. Seeing no other alternative, Elizabeth leaped into the air and straight onto the Bouncer's back. It whirled around, unable to see its opponent.

"Daddy only gives ME piggy-back rides!" the Little Sister screamed.

_Not exactly a priority here,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. She noticed a small fault on the back of the Big Daddy's helmet. This didn't look like an injury: it was a design fault, probably left unfixed because no one was going to try to fight a Big Daddy from behind. Elizabeth pulled out her pistol to shoot out the fault. The Big Daddy shook madly, and Elizabeth dropped the pistol, but managed to hold on to the Bouncer. Trying to catch her breath, she clenched her fist and slammed it into the fault. The Bouncer moaned in pain. Liking the results, Elizabeth sent another punch into the fault. To her shock, the entire helmet collapsed in on itself, and the Bouncer hit the ground, dead.

The Little Sister ran up to the dead body. "Mr. B, wake up!" she shouted. "We hafta go to Lilly Poppy!"

Elizabeth, pausing to insert some more EVE (and some adrenaline to avoid the allergic reaction), looked at the Little Sister. "Brigid? What do I do?"

Tenenbaum sighed. _"You have to leave her behind. We can't cure her, and she'll attract plenty of Splicers and Big Daddies if she follows you. She only serves to slow you down."_

The Little Sister had at this point realized that her Daddy was lying dead on the ground, and had begun to wail.

"She's going to attract Splicers as is," Elizabeth argued. "There's gotta be a way to quiet her."

_"__If you had listened to me about…"_

"Brigid. I know what I'm doing."

She bent down to look at the Little Sister. It scrambled back, terrified.

"Swimming monster killed Daddy!" she cried.

"Wait." Elizabeth slowly removed her helmet. "You see? I'm just a person."

"Monster!"

"Please…I don't want to hurt you!"

"Stay away from me!"

_"__Elizabeth, she's not worth it."_ Tenenbaum said that last part with audible strain.

"Every life counts," Elizabeth replied. Her mind suddenly focused on some of the music she recorded for Sander Cohen while working undercover. She looked straight into the eyes of the Little Sister and began to sing. _"That certain night, the night we met/There was magic abroad in the air…"_

The Little Sister began to calm down. She now stared at Elizabeth with interest.

_"__There were angels dining at the Ritz/And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square."_ She paused, hoping to gauge a reaction.

The Little Sister smiled. "You have a nice voice." Then, "Monsters don't have nice voices."

"I suppose that means I'm not a monster," Elizabeth shrugged.

The Little Sister stepped forward and stretched out its hand, rubbing Elizabeth's cheek. "You're soft," she said pleasantly.

Elizabeth smiled.

"Are you a lamb?"

"I'm your…Big Sister," she said, suddenly thinking up the word. "I want to protect you."

The Little Sister tried to form the words. "Big S-sister," she said slowly. Then she frowned. "But what about Daddy?"

"Daddy…didn't love you as much as I do," Elizabeth said. In her mind, she thought, _Oh my god, that's terrible._ She could hear Tenenbaum make a nervous cough. "What's your name?"

"I_—_I…" the Little Sister tried to remember. "…Amber."

"Hello, Amber," Elizabeth said, smiling warmly. "I'm Elizabeth, your Big Sister." Something wasn't right. Elizabeth felt a distant rumble and a little bit of blood came out of her nose.

Amber tilted her head. "Is Big Sister sick?" she asked.

"It's…nothing," Elizabeth said, trying to rub the blood away.

"You need ADAM!" Amber said gleefully. She pulled out her needle and stabbed it straight into her forearm.

"Are—are you hurt?" Elizabeth asked, concerned as Amber removed the needle.

"Little Sisters don't let pain get in the way of delicious ADAM!" Amber replied. "We give ADAM to Daddy!" She grinned. "And to Sister!"

"But I—"

_"__Elizabeth, I think you should take the ADAM."_

"I'm not gonna let myself become a Splicer, you know that."

_"__Think about it: a Little Sister offering up her own ADAM to a protector. How do you think they were bonded in the first place?"_

Elizabeth remembered the incident in Suchong's lab with the injured Big Daddy and the two Little Sisters.

_"__There's a chemical in the Little Sisters' blood that taps into the psyche of whoever takes their ADAM, only severed if the girl is killed or cured. If you bond with her, you'll form a connection similar to the Big Daddy-Little Sister bonds."_

"Those bonds usually involve the Big Daddy going insane and killing everything in sight the moment someone hurts the sister."

_"__But isn't that what you need to do?"_

Well, there was no argument to that.

_"__Elizabeth, if this truly concerns you, I do have the plasmids to cut off the bond once our work here is done."_

Left with little choice, Elizabeth held up her arm, revealing the health and EVE insertion point. She cringed as Amber stabbed her needle straight in and inserted the ADAM.

"Does Big Sister feel better?" she asked, pulling the needle out.

Elizabeth, puzzled, removed one of her gloves and rolled up her sleeve. The ADAM coursed through her veins, burning red. She had had diluted forms of the substance placed in her on numerous occasions, but never pure ADAM from a Little Sister.

"What's that on your hand?" Amber asked, noticing the thimble.

"That's a…" Elizabeth thought the better of it. "Nothing."

_"__Elizabeth?"_

For a moment, Elizabeth froze. What was that? Was it a threat to the girl? Then she realized it was Tenenbaum. "Yeah, doc?"

_"__You need to move. It's never wise to stay in one place for too long in Rapture."_

"Right. Come along, Amber. We're going places."


	5. Genesis

"Are we going to Lilly Poppy?" Amber asked.

"Amber, we're going somewhere better than Lilly Poppy," Elizabeth said as she cycled an airlock. "We're going to a world where everything is beautiful and the shining light makes the world seem better."

"Is there ADAM to gather for Miss Lizzy?" Amber asked.

Elizabeth smiled. "I like that name," she said. "But I don't need ADAM." The airlock opened and they found themselves in a long, dark hallway.

"All good girls gather ADAM," Amber recited.

Elizabeth laughed. "I'm sure they do."

Tenenbaum's voice crackled from the radio. _"The power grid for this section seems to have shorted out some time ago. I'm not sure if I can help you if something attacks you in there."_

"What do you have access to?"

_"__Security cameras and lights."_

"Well, that's promising. I think we'll be all right."

_"__Really?"_

"No, in truth, I'm absolutely terrified."

Something clanged behind them. Elizabeth froze. "Stay here," she said, putting Amber down. She pulled up her pistol and walked in the direction of the clang. "Who is it?" she called. "Is it someone new?"

Something was whispering. She couldn't make out what it was saying, but she could hear where it was coming from. And it was getting louder.

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, her gun flung aside into the distance, and a Splicer standing right over her, holding the meat hook Elizabeth had been carrying. It bent downwards and tore Elizabeth's helmet off.

"Hello again," it hissed. "Did you miss me?"

Elizabeth found herself looking right into the face of Kat the Splicer, who now sported a dark bruise on the side of her face. She pinned both of Elizabeth's hands to the ground.

"I told you not to follow me," Elizabeth panted as she tried to struggle out from underneath the Splicer.

"Yeah, well, sucks to be you," Kat said. She raised the meat hook towards Elizabeth's face, using the force of her elbow to prevent the woman from moving her right arm. "I have unfinished business with you."

"I spared your life!"

"Yet you killed Angus. Do you really think I'm gonna forgive you for that?"

"…that's a loaded question."

Then she noticed something on Kat's left arm: a bracelet with a pendant on it: a bird pendant. The same one she was wearing around her own neck at the moment.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, staring at it.

"Like you don't know," Kat laughed as she leaned in closer. "You're so pretty, though: I'd hate to ruin those fine features, especially the cheekbones." She brought her face right up to Elizabeth's, grinning maliciously.

Thinking quickly, Elizabeth slammed her head into the Splicer's forehead. Kat shouted in pain, a small amount of blood pouring out from the space between her eyebrows. Seizing the chance, Elizabeth activated Electro Bolt, forced her arm out from the Splicer's strength, and sent her palm straight into Kat's side. The Splicer howled in pain before hitting the ground, shuddering.

For a moment Elizabeth stared at her hands, shocked at the sudden burst of strength. Shaking off the surprise, she found her pistol and aimed it straight at the Splicer, who was still convulsing with electricity.

"Gonna spare me again?" it managed to stutter.

"You wish," Elizabeth replied. She armed the gun.

"WAIT!" Amber shouted. She ran up to the Splicer, who was staring at her with a strange amount of shock.

"You're—you…" Kat spluttered.

"Amber, get out of the way!" Elizabeth ordered, lowering her gun.

"She needs ADAM!" Amber pulled out her needle, already full of ADAM, then stabbed it into the Splicer's arm.

"Amber, don't! She doesn't need our—!"

But the deed was done. Amber removed the needle. Kat slowly stood up, staring at the girl. She took a step closer, but was stopped by Elizabeth raising the gun again.

"Just this time, lady," she growled, dropping her hook on the floor. "Don't wanna upset the girl. But I'll promise you this…_we'll meet again._" And she sprinted off into the distance.

Elizabeth discharged her gun wildly, hoping to get a shot, but the Splicer evaded the bullets. What puzzled Elizabeth was the noticeable limp Kat ran with.

"Amber, why'd you give her your ADAM?" Elizabeth asked as she stuck her helmet back on.

Amber didn't respond. She just began sucking her thumb.

"Dr. Tenenbaum, do you have an explanation?"

_"__The girl knows the Splicer."_

"What?"

_"__I witnessed this a few times: when the little ones encountered someone they knew before they were altered, they had the urge to provide them with ADAM."_

"So…"

_"__Perhaps Kat was a babysitter or a family friend. It was definitely someone she spent some time with. Either way, Amber recognized her and did what she thought was necessary when she was injured."_

Kat had left a satchel on the ground. Elizabeth bent down to inspect its contents, which included some EVE hypos and an audio diary dated 1958.

_"__Rapture, 'city of dreams,'"_ Kat grumbled. She sounded a lot more sarcastic than she had in the other recordings. _"It's a city of dreams until the economic inequality starts to show. Raising a child in Rapture is, to say the least, a pain in the bank account."_

"They had a child," Elizabeth commented. Then, with a hint of sadness, "That never ends well in Rapture."

Past Kat sighed. _"We want what's best for our little girl. But it's rough here in the Fargo District. I was talking to Angus the other day: he's gonna try to get extra hours at the bank. I know he means well, but I want a child whose father will be around as much as possible."_

Elizabeth cringed.

_"__So, I guess it's back to Sinclair Pharmaceuticals. I'm taking the night shift, though: I don't want my daughter to be alone when she's awake."_

There was a loud hiss. Elizabeth watched as the row of lights in the corridor shut off one-by-one, and the room was plunged into darkness.

* * *

With a beeping noise, a light came on in Elizabeth's helmet. She could see the corridor now, but it was bathed in red: a night-vision setting had activated.

Amber screamed. Quickly, Elizabeth covered her mouth.

"Brigid, what was that?" she asked into the radio.

There were some typing noises. _"The power's gone out in that section,"_ Tenenbaum said, sounding frustrated._ "Your helmet has a night vision setting, though, so keep it on your head._ _There's also a torch in your left gauntlet that you can turn on at will._ _Only problem is, now I can't see you. You'll be walking blind for quite a while."_

"Perfect."

_"__There's an old hospital approximately one-hundred yards from your current position. Once you get through there, you'll be in a powered part of the city. Think you can survive until then?"_

"Don't worry about me. I'll be fine." Elizabeth bent down. "Amber, I know it's hard to see, but can you hear me?"

"Where are you?"

"Reach out."

Amber felt Elizabeth's helmet. She knocked on it gently. Amused, Elizabeth ruffled the Little Sister's hair.

"Your devotion to the girl is astounding," Rosalind Lutece said as she appeared right in front of Elizabeth, sending her to the ground in surprise. She was holding a cookie tin and a lamp, providing some light in the dark corridor.

"Couldn't you make a slightly more subtle entrance?!" Elizabeth exclaimed, removing her helmet.

"Well, since you asked—no."

"Are you a fairy?" Amber asked.

"What? No…" Rosalind replied. "Well, yes, according to conserva—no, I'm not supernatural."

"What are you doing here?" Elizabeth asked suspiciously. "Come to give me a cryptic clue? And where's your brother?"

"No, actually, I thought you might be hungry." Rosalind handed her the cookie tin. "Robert sends his regards…and white chocolate chips," she added, opening the tin. "The little girl can have some, too."

Elizabeth looked in the tin. The contents looked pretty appetizing, but she wasn't sure she was in the mood for cookies.

"Amber, would you like a cookie?" she asked, holding one out. The Little Sister said nothing as she grabbed it and began chomping away.

"What's this about?" Elizabeth asked.

"My brother thought you might like a familiar face."

"I just saw one. Splicer Kat just made a reappearance."

"I mean someone who you trust," Rosalind replied as she took a cookie out from the tin.

"I've put up with you two for years now!" Elizabeth shouted. "I trust you about as much as—" she didn't finish, for at that moment Rosalind shoved a cookie into her mouth. She would have spat out and continued, but she found herself enjoying it, so she just gave up.

"You trust us about as much as Adam trusted the serpent in the Garden of Eden," Rosalind finished, closing the tin. "Yet we're the ones who revived you and inadvertently brought back your abilities in a very weak form. You know, despite the good morals the Bible teaches, I can never forgive them for one little detail from Genesis."

Elizabeth swallowed the cookie. "What? That it was the woman who was tempted by the fruit from the tree?"

"No, don't be silly. Have another cookie," and she shoved yet another cookie into Elizabeth's mouth. "It's the idea that Eve's curiosity only meant danger. That seems to be the case with a lot of mythological women: Semele, Pandora, Lot's wife: their curiosity resulted in doom for themselves, their friends, and their families. Yet if we didn't have people who were a little curious about their surroundings, we'd have more people like Comstock."

"Where are you going with this?" Elizabeth asked as she took the uneaten part of the cookie out of her mouth.

Rosalind put down the cookie tin and the lamp, reached out, and took Elizabeth's hand. She ran her fingers through the woman's palm.

"Sometimes, it's necessary to take risks," she said slowly.

Suddenly, she pulled out an EVE hypo and stabbed it into Elizabeth's arm. Elizabeth seized up, dropped the cookie, and hit the ground, gasping for air.

"Lizzy!" Amber screamed, running straight towards her.

But Rosalind held her back. "Let it pass, child," she said calmly.

"What are you doing?!" Elizabeth wheezed.

Rosalind knelt down. "Don't struggle, it'll only make this worse," she advised in a soothing voice.

"I'm gonna rip your—"

"No, really, don't struggle. It offsets the balance of the cookies."

Confused, Elizabeth stopped struggling. "What?" Immediately, her throat opened up and she could breathe normally. She stood up.

"What the hell did you do?" she asked, feeling her arms. Her muscles felt tighter, and she felt a bit lightheaded.

"Suchong's oxidizing agent," Rosalind explained, smiling. "The one he used to make plasmids drinkable. I isolated it, switched around a few atoms, and turned it into something that could be consumed, as well as neutralize your allergic reaction."

Elizabeth looked down on the ground and picked up the rest of her cookie. "That's not how chemistry works," she commented, taking a bite, but then spitting it out once she realized where it had been. She looked at Amber. "Does it affect her?"

"It will just make her a bit sleepy," Rosalind assured, gently rubbing Amber on the head before handing her another cookie. "Regardless, this will be more helpful in the coming hour."

"How so?" Elizabeth asked, pulling out an EVE hypo to look at it.

"I'm not at liberty to say. Also, I couldn't help but notice you've been attaching EVE hypos to a small pouch on your tool belt."

"Yeah."

Rosalind handed Elizabeth a satchel, apparently out of hammerspace. "I think this will prove slightly more useful when gathering items. I'm afraid it's not waterproof, but it zips shut, so nothing will fall out."

Elizabeth put the satchel on and was about to thank her savior when she noticed something strange: Rosalind had a long scar running down the side of her face.

"I don't mean to be rude, but what happened to your face?" she inquired, miming the shape of the scar on her own.

Rosalind's expression gave nothing away, but her pupils shrank for a few seconds.

"None of your concern," she muttered before turning the lamp off and plunging the hallway into darkness once more. Elizabeth switched on her flashlight, waving the beam around in hopes of finding the Lutece sister. But she was nowhere to be found.

"I think the nice lady was ghost," Amber said. Then she yawned.

"Sure she was," Elizabeth agreed, picking up her helmet and the Little Sister. For some reason she seemed a bit lighter. "Do you want to take a nap?"

"Not…tired," Amber yawned before she started to snore.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Lately I've gotten into the works of David Lynch. Okay, one work: _Twin Peaks_.**

**Honestly, I would never go so far as to make a _Twin Peaks_ fanfiction (I don't have the guts) but I'd love to include some Lynch-inspired content in this story.**

**Also, I'm taking a Biblical Allusions class at school, so Rosalind's conversation with Elizabeth seemed like a good place to insert information from that.**


	6. Another World

The Monument Island doors were under lock and key. Ten soldiers stood there, humming to themselves.

Elizabeth grimaced. It was impossible to simply walk around them.

One of the soldiers walked up to her. "May I help you?" he asked.

"Yes, I'd like to see the Angel of Columbia statue," Elizabeth said cheerfully. "I want to get a close look at it."

The soldier looked back at one of his buddies, who raised an eyebrow. "I am sorry, madam, but our prophet Comstock has restricted access to the statue for some time now," he said after a moment. "No one has entered since our late mother of forgiveness Lady Comstock gave birth to the Lamb of Columbia. Madam, I would like to remind you that the city is being evacuated as we speak."

"Yes, I'm aware of that," Elizabeth said apologetically. "But I wanted to get a close look at the statue before the last evacuation ship left."

"His lordship has told us to keep the statue off-limits," the other soldier insisted. "Even when the Vox come to take the statue themselves, we will fight to our last breath, and become martyrs of our cause!"

"No exceptions?"

"None at all, madam. You best be getting to the evacuation ships before they all leave."

Elizabeth walked very close to the first soldier. "Perhaps we can come to some sort of…agreement?" she asked, placing a single finger on the soldier's chest.

The soldier nervously laughed. "Madam, I will not be tempted by sin," he coughed.

"Well," Elizabeth continued, pulling the soldier in closer and casually waving off the other soldiers, who were staring at the scene with interest. "I'm sure we all feel temptation by sin at some point in our lives. Besides, if you become a martyr to your cause, your sins will be cleansed when you go before the lord in heaven."

The soldier thought over this. "Well then…" he said. "What do you propose?"

* * *

Elizabeth approached the Angel of Columbia statue.

She had never seen it from this angle, and it was, to say the least, impressive. Even if some of it had gotten chopped off by Songbird during her escape with Booker.

"What a dump," Elizabeth muttered, looking at the pieces of metal that lay scattered around the main courtyard. "This place must've been beautiful to walk through back in the day."

She glanced at her watch. Approximately five seconds before, Zachary Hale Comstock was killed by Booker DeWitt. Which meant she had about ten minutes to get inside the statue before Songbird brought the whole thing crashing to the ground.

Luckily for her, the huge gate that blocked off the tower had been destroyed in Songbird's destructive path. It was merely a question of climbing over a lot of metal.

As she began to climb, she looked up at the grey skies. The last evacuation ship was leaving right now. The poor citizens, dreaming of heaven before the Rapture, had to return to what they thought of as the Sodom. But maybe, with the coming years, they would learn to accept it. If they could, they would learn to live as normal citizens.

That was a big "if," though.

* * *

The lockers in the entrance hall lay on their sides, shaken up from Songbird's attack during her initial escape. It seemed obvious to Elizabeth this wasn't the only damage the attack had done.

She looked in the room with the photographs. There were some compromising images of her from when she was younger: images that she didn't want to exist. She tore them out of their hangers and ripped them to pieces.

The next room was full of items familiar to her: items she had believed lost. There was a teddy bear that had disappeared from her bedroom when she was 4, a poetry book that she had left on her desk at one moment but had vanished minutes later from when she was 11, and a towel stained with blood from her first menstruation when she was 13.

_Well that's...kind of invasive,_ Elizabeth thought to herself with a bit of disgust. She couldn't imagine what the scientists had expected to find from that towel._  
_

She pushed open the doors into the main chamber. Standing before her was the siphon, in full action, still leeching away her past self's powers. But she wasn't here to destroy it: Songbird, her friend and foe, would do that job for her within the next few minutes.

"Dammit," she muttered, looking at her watch. She had spent too much time looking around in the other rooms. She only had three minutes to finish up.

She ran to the side of the room and pulled a curtain away to reveal a door. Pushing it open, she found what she was looking for: a mini-laboratory, mostly cleared out, but there with some equipment still lying about on the various counters.

And sitting by itself on one of the counters was the item she had come to retrieve.

* * *

The Vox soldiers landed at the entrance to Monument Island, fully expecting a fight with the soldiers stationed there. Monument Tower was a symbol of Comstock's rule, and they intended to take it over: maybe turn it into a tribute to their late leader, Daisy Fitzroy.

But the fight never happened, for all ten soldiers were lying dead on the ground.

"One of ours get to him?" a Vox named Osgood asked.

"Nah," replied his friend, Darwin, who was inspecting the bodies. "This was very clean: an assassin's work. Single bullet wound to the heads. Looks like someone's already in the tower." He picked up another one. "Wait a minute…this one's throat was slashed, and he's got a lipstick mark on his cheek."

* * *

Elizabeth quietly closed the door behind her and looked up. The siphon rumbled loudly, yet in the distance she could hear Songbird flying around in the clouds, preparing to take down the tower.

The main doors burst open. "Hands in the air!" a Vox soldier barked.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes and put her hands in the air. "Look at you soldiers, ready to take down the ones who oppress you," she sighed. "Atlas would be tickled-pink if he met you all."

"What the hell is she on about, Osgood?" one of them asked.

"Who cares? I'm more concerned about that thing on her hand," Osgood replied. "Darwin, take it from her."

Darwin slowly stepped towards Elizabeth. "Hey, wait a sec," he said, squinting his eyes. "You're that lamb girl: Comstock's spawn! The one who's been working with the Booker imposter! I say we kill her!"

"Not yet," Osgood barked. "I want a good look at the thing on her hand!"

"This thing?" Elizabeth asked, looking at her hand. "It's called the Lutece Field Extractor. It was an item Jeremiah Fink was developing before his untimely demise."

"And what does it do?" Darwin asked. "Lower your hand so I can see it."

Elizabeth slowly lowered her hand. "Call it the 'mini-siphon,'" she explained. "It extracts Lutece Field particles from specific sources, like the very machines that keep this fair city afloat."

"What, so this disables ships and such? Works for me: we can fight of Comstock's forces with it."

"Oh, you poor soul, it does more than that. It can also extract the particles from a person endowed with the ability to control the Lutece Field, rendering them completely powerless. But here's the kicker: during early experiments, it was discovered it could do something else."

She looked at Darwin, then slammed the device into his head.

He convulsed as streaks of white light pulsed through his body. After letting out a pained groan, he slumped to the ground, his skin a lightish-gray color.

"What did—what'd you do?!" Osgood shouted. The other Vox soldiers held up their weapons in fear.

"I just sent 200 million volts through his body," Elizabeth replied, brushing herself off. "He's dead, my friend, a victim of an experiment to determine if this thing actually worked."

"Open fire!" another soldier shouted. But before they could, there was a loud rumble from above, and the room began to shake.

"What's going on up there?!" Osgood shouted at Elizabeth.

"That's Songbird," Elizabeth sighed. She glanced over at the piece of machinery beside her, grasped onto a wire, and ripped it out. "Probably gonna need this sooner or later," she explained. "Anyway, I'm afraid your time is up, Patrick Inishmaan Osgood. But before you go, I've got one last message: tell Comstock I said hi." And with a flash of light, she vanished.

Osgood looked around as pieces of equipment fell over, crushing his comrades where they stood. In the distance he could hear screeching, like that of the dreaded Songbird he had heard in stories his parents told him. Horrified, he looked up. The last thing he saw was a wall of fire coming down straight for him.

* * *

**The reader is puzzled. Why is Elizabeth in Columbia? What happened to the story with her and Amber?  
**

**We will return to that story in the next chapter. But there are other Elizabeths, other worlds: it seems appropriate to take a look at what one of them is doing.**


	7. Medical Emergency

Hospitals are designed to contain and cure the weak and the sick. This one seemed like it was going to make those who entered weak and sick. There were broken chairs and the bodies of staff members scattered across the dimly lit room, the one light flickering on and off, probably from an emergency generator. The front door was barricaded by several chairs, which were quickly blasted away by Elizabeth. A weathered down sign in the lobby read, "ERIC FARGO MEDICAL HOSPITAL."

"This is cheery," Elizabeth muttered. Right now her top priority was to get to the South Entrance: she didn't have any remote interest in staying here for very long.

Suddenly, the light in the center of the lobby shut off and the room plunged into darkness. A few moments later, her helmet made a small beeping noise and the night vision setting activated.

Elizabeth moved forward, eventually coming to face a pile of rubble, blocking her pathway to the other end of the building.

"Comforting," she said, turning around.

Standing right there dressed in a hospital gown was a Spider Splicer, which had literally been breathing down Elizabeth's neck.

Elizabeth let out a yelp and grabbed for her gun. The Splicer banged its hand against her helmet, stunning her for a moment.

"You shouldn't have come here," it whispered. And then it ran off down the hallway.

The noise had awoken Amber. "Lizzy?" she asked, confused. Then once more, with panic, "LIZZY?"

"Shh, I'm right here," Elizabeth whispered. She breathed deeply. "Amber, are you a brave little girl?"

"Always be brave for your Daddy," Amber recited. "Or your Sister," she added timidly.

"I want you to prove your bravery," Elizabeth said. "We are going to face some scary things, but whatever you do, don't scream. Just stay calm. I promise, I will get you out of here and we'll have fun times together."

Amber nodded.

_I'm not gonna be able to fight off any Splicers if I'm carrying her like this, _Elizabeth thought.

Offices tend to have pets. There was a good chance she could find a birdcage down here.

* * *

It didn't take long to find one. The two birds inside had long died of starvation. But the cage was just big enough that she could push Amber in comfortably. She even found some crayons and paper to keep the girl occupied. Grabbing some strong cord, she mounted the cage on her back, just on top of her oxygen tank. The load caused her to lean forward even more than before, but right now her aching back was not the biggest of her problems.

"You alright back there?" Elizabeth asked. She turned her head. The Little Sister was counting her toes.

"This little piggy went to market, and this little piggy stayed home and was left to work in the moldy old docks because she didn't follow the financial advice of Andrew Ryan," she sang.

"I call that a nursery rhyme with a Rapture twist," Elizabeth muttered as she walked forward. Finding a staircase, she climbed up to the second floor.

There were a few emergency lights on this level, but nothing substantial. Still, it was pleasant to see something that wasn't bathed in red light. What was a little less pleasant to see were several orderlies and patients lying on the floor, their faces trapped in a permanent state of terror.

She listened. Just the occasional dripping of water. But it bothered her that she could hear no Splicers. This was a big building, there was bound to be more than one.

She checked her supply of EVE. She was probably going to need some more needles. Looking around, she decided to walk into one of the rooms.

She opened the door and jumped to see a dead body lying on the bed. Catching her breath, she took a closer look: apparently it was a patient who died in his sleep.

Glancing down, she noticed an audio diary and, bizarrely, an arrow, which she pocketed, figuring her crossbow would need it at some point.

"Property of Angus MacLachlan?" she read, picking it up and pressing play. It was dated January 2, 1959: the day after Atlas attacked.

_"__How is she?"_ came the voice of Angus.

_"__Well, she's taking her injuries better than some of my other patients,"_ came another voice, that of a doctor. _"By better I mean she didn't start screaming in horror. But ever since she looked in that mirror, she's just been sitting in her bed, looking up at the ceiling, only looking back down to eat her meals or to look at herself in the mirror again. She doesn't say a thing unless it's, 'Thank you,' or something else simple, like, 'Hello, Doctor.'"_

_"__Maybe I should talk to her again? I can share some stuff about what's happened back home."_

_"__Well, I don't know how she'll respond, but you can certainly try."_

There were some footsteps, along with a door opening.

_"__How are you today, Kat?"_ Angus asked.

_"__Just fine for someone with a half-burnt face, a broken leg, a bullet in the chest, and a splitting headache,"_ Kat replied dryly.

_"__Hey, Amy wanted to know where you were. She misses you."_

Silence.

_"__Kat, you know it doesn't matter to me what happened to your face."_

Kat took a deep breath. _"I know that. And I know it doesn't change anything for you, and that you'll love me forever, you've told me all that before."_

_"Exactly."_

_"But Amy—she's not going to recognize me. I'm gonna walk in and she'll shout that I'm a monster."_

_"__Kat, listen to me. She will know you. She will accept you as her mother. We are going to go home, make dinner, kiss her good night, watch TV, and go to bed. Our lives will be completely normal. Promise me you'll pull through this? For me and for Amy?"_

_"…__I promise."_ The recording cut out.

Elizabeth quietly put the audio diary back on the floor. Then she pulled out her tommy gun and shot the Splicer who had gotten up from the bed and crept up behind her while the audio diary was playing.

"Wh—how?" it asked as it bled out on the ground.

"To be honest, you weren't very quiet," Elizabeth shrugged. She smiled with satisfaction as the Splicer died. "Good job not screaming," she said to Amber.

Amber was now gnawing on one of the crayons.

"Oh, don't eat…don't eat that," Elizabeth muttered.

There were a couple of EVE hypos lying around, so she grabbed several. The Splicer had a hand cannon, so she also stole that.

"Where were you when I needed you?" she muttered as she checked the barrel. "Okay, Amber, we're going back out. Let me know when something's behind me."

"Look, Lizzy!" Amber said gleefully. Elizabeth looked behind and saw Amber was holding out a crudely drawn picture of her in her diving suit. "It's you!"

Elizabeth frowned. There was something very familiar about this image. She tried concentrating, but all she got was a little blood from her nose (which wasn't from concentrating, but from a blocked memory. But you already knew that). There was something she had forgotten, something she had blocked out of her mind.

Shaking it off, she stepped back out into the hallway. Seeing that it was completely empty, she made her way to the other staircase.

Then she stopped. Completely empty? Weren't there dead bodies lying around only a few minutes ago?

She spun around. The doors, which had all been previously open, were now closed.

"Here comes trouble," she muttered.

_**"LIZZY!"**_ Amber screamed.

Elizabeth ducked as a Splicer jumped right over her head. It tumbled across the floor, stood up, and hissed.

"That's a nice Little Sister you got there," it hissed. "Shame if something were to happen to it."

Elizabeth watched as the doors all burst open, Splicers emerging and screaming.

"Why don't we make you a deal?" another Splicer purred. "Give us the sister and we let you live."

"Well, that's quite an enticing deal," Elizabeth said sarcastically. She held up her hand cannon. "But I'm gonna have to say no."

"Well, civility aside…kill her. And get the girl."

"Wait!" Elizabeth unmounted the cage and placed it on the ground. She quietly unlocked the cage door and pushed Amber out. The Little Sister looked around, confused.

"She's doing the right thing," the lead Splicer. "Very nice. Well, everyone, we do what we agreed on now…kill her, and take the Little Sister."

The Splicers moved in. Elizabeth suddenly tossed Amber into an empty room and pulled out her tommy gun.

She wanted to shout something like, "You're not gonna kill her!" but what came out of her mouth was a little more ferocious: **"YOU. WILL. NOT. TOUCH. THE. GIRL."**

* * *

It was over in only a few seconds. The last Splicer hit the ground with a meat hook sticking out of his forehead. Elizabeth pulled it out and shook off the blood. Then she looked back at the dead bodies.

"You can come out now, Amber," she said. "They're dead."

Amber walked out of the room and looked at the carnage. "Look at all the angels!" she exclaimed. "Do we take their ADAM?"

"Uh...sure." This gave Amber something to do while Elizabeth radioed Tenenbaum and explained what had just happened.

_"__That's the pair bonding,"_ Tenenbaum replied. _"__Call it a primal instinct. An immediate urge to protect the girl. I must say though, it goes over very differently when the subject has the ability to speak."_

"What, I'm a subject?"

_"__I…sorry, old habits."_

"What if you were to come along and cure Amber?" Elizabeth asked. "Would I go nuts and tear you to pieces?"

_"__It's unlikely. The bond taking effect is connected to your choice: you knew the Splicers were a threat to the girl, so the bond made you kill them. The Big Daddies were conditioned to believe that if someone, even a normal person, touched the Little Sister, they were a threat and needed to be destroyed. Thankfully, you never received that conditioning. As long as you don't think I'm a threat, you (and by extension, I) should be fine."_

"Wouldn't want to kill you after all you've been through."

_"Yes, that would put a damper on our friendship, wouldn't it?"_

Amber walked up to Elizabeth with a full needle. "Does Big Sister want ADAM?"

Elizabeth paused for a moment.

"Tenenbaum?"

_"Hmm?"_

"Amber's offering me ADAM. Should I take it?"

_"..."_

"Hello?"

_"Listen, ADAM as a whole is hard to come by, and it's useful for gaining strength and the lot. If I were in your shoes, I would take it."_

Elizabeth leaned down and held out her arm. "Alright, Amber, go ahead." She grimaced slightly as she felt the ADAM go into her veins. Once it was over, she put Amber back into her cage and started to move, but was interrupted by a low moan. One of the Splicers lying on the ground was still alive.

Elizabeth lifted her foot to stomp on its head, but stopped herself. He certainly didn't seem like a threat anymore.

She slammed her foot down on his head, crushing it. No sense in taking chances.


	8. Paradox

They emerged on Fargo Street. This area had been in the path of destruction left by the Splicers on the morning of January 1, 1959. Buildings were burned out, the remaining storefronts bore signs that read, "JOIN THE CULT OF THE GAMBLER," and dead Splicers were everywhere. Elizabeth found herself hoping they were actually dead.

She was about to enter an abandoned restaurant, hoping to find some loot, when she noticed the burned-out shell of a building. The charred sign still read "Sinclair Pharmaceuticals."

_Curious,_ she thought. She pulled out her radio. "Brigid, I'm going to take a look in that burned out store."

_"…__Sinclair Pharmaceuticals? There's not much there now." _Tenenbaum chuckled slightly. _"With what Sinclair had, there wasn't much there in the first place. If you're trying to learn more about that Splicer, I doubt there's anything left to find."_

Elizabeth thought about this. Tenenbaum was right, but she had the feeling she needed to go in there.

"It doesn't hurt to look," she said finally.

_"Well, it's your decision__. Security camera's down in that store, though. Do you think you will be alright while you are in there?"_

"Compared to an abandoned hospital? I feel pretty good."

* * *

The damage had sent some shelves to the ground. Whatever hadn't been burned or destroyed in the explosion had been looted by Splicers who had come through previously.

"Can I come out now?" Amber asked from her cage.

"What? Oh…" Elizabeth quickly let the Little Sister out of her cage. "Take a look around, if you like. We're not going to be here for very long." Thinking she needed some air herself, she removed her helmet.

She walked up to the counter. But as she was about to walk behind it to find something that could help her, a nearby pipe abruptly burst open, filling the room with steam.

* * *

The steam cleared. Elizabeth waved it away, coughing.

"Yike! When'd you walk in? I didn't even hear the bell ring."

Elizabeth looked up. Standing right before her was a young woman in her early '20s wearing a pink button-down shirt and a white apron, with a magazine laid out on the counter before her. She looked very familiar.

"Jesus, you look like you were in a shark attack," the clerk said.

Elizabeth looked around. The store no longer looked abandoned. It was actually spotless, with various products lining the shelves. No sign of it having been burned.

"Amber?" she called out.

"Uh, if you're looking for someone, she isn't in the store," the clerk said, raising an eyebrow. "I've been here all afternoon, no one's come in. Until you, I guess."

It was beginning to dawn on Elizabeth it was no longer 1960, but some time earlier, when this store was still open.

"Are you some skinny Big Daddy?" the clerk asked. She leaned in. "I always wanted to know what they looked like in those suits. And I'm liking what I'm seeing."

Elizabeth nervously brushed her hair away. 'I, uh…I'm not a Big Daddy."

"Well, what are you, then? Big Mommy? Big Sister? Big Niece?"

"If you haven't noticed, I'm not really Big anything. Actually, I'm about your size."

"True," the clerk admitted. "Well, are you going to buy something or what?"

Elizabeth took another look at her surroundings. Had she opened a tear and ended up in a different world? She felt her nose: no blood. That meant two things: one, she hadn't done this; two, this wasn't a different universe. She had gone back in time to Sinclair Pharmaceuticals when it was still in business.

"Uh…lady?"

"What?" Elizabeth turned back to the clerk. "Oh, I'm just looking around…Katherine," she said, reading the label on the clerk's smock: "Katherine De Winter". She did a double take as she looked between the nametag and the face of the clerk. "Kat?"

"Well, that's what people call me," Kat the Drugstore Clerk replied. "Though, usually only my friends. Want to be friends?"

"Umm…sure." She held out her hands to shake on it. The gauntlet was still drenched in blood from the hospital fight, and a little bit was dripping onto the counter.

Kat eyed the hand nervously. "Yeah, let's avoid the handshake until you can get all that blood off." She reached behind the counter and handed Elizabeth some paper towels. "Got a sink in the back if you want to use it."

"Thanks. You're very kind."

"Anything for good company. Don't get enough of it."

* * *

Elizabeth turned on the faucet and began washing her gloves off.

"Where'd you get all that blood, anyway?" Kat asked, arms crossed.

"Got into a fight," Elizabeth said. Well, that wasn't a lie.

"What about the suit?"

"Costume party." That was a lie.

"You beat up people at a costume party? Lady, you're stronger than you look."

Elizabeth splashed some water over her face. "Thanks, I guess."

The bell at the front of the store rang.

"That's a customer. You'll be fine back here, right?"

"Sure."

Kat walked out the door.

Turning the water off, Elizabeth decided to take inventory on her surroundings. Finding a calendar, she checked the dates crossed off. "October 23, 1954." This was the day Angus met Kat.

The future Splicer walked back in. "Another ADAM buyer," she said. "That stuff is disgusting, but all of Rapture's using it."

"What about you?"

"I don't go for that shit."

_She will one day,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. She decided to strike up a conversation. "So…tell me about yourself."

"Moved here from the Market District last week," she said. "Thought maybe I could get a better crowd in the more self-sufficient part of town."

"Better crowd?"

"Attractive crowd. Just went through a breakup, looking for the next one."

"Ah yes, motivation due to one's attraction to the opposite gender."

Kat stuck her hands in her pocket. "Well, yeah, there was that, obviously…but, you know, just so we don't marginalize, there's also the…other one…?"

Some gears clicked into place in Elizabeth's head. "Oh! Uh…right."

Suddenly Kat's earlier comment about "liking what [she] was seeing" made sense.

"Well, good. Good for you."

"Starting to regret it, really," Kat said, stepping closer. "Everyone here's taken."

Elizabeth found herself feeling slightly uncomfortable. "Listen, I'm flattered, honestly, but I'm not—"

"No, no, I understand," the future Splicer sighed. "Got out of a relationship about a month ago, still looking around. Some actress working in the Jazz District."

"Huh. Should've kept her around. She might've become famous, and you could've lived off the money."

Kat nervously laughed and stuck her hands in her pockets. "Conflict of interests, you know?" she shrugged. "She wanted to be famous, I wanted a family, it was a mess. Anyway, I've had some small chances, but nothing substantial."

Elizabeth looked at the security camera footage playing on a nearby television set. There was someone smoking outside. He was about to run out of cigarettes.

Focusing on his face, she imagined it with numerous lumps and blood dripping down the forehead from a single bullet wound.

That image quickly flew off into the place in her brain she liked to call "Nope."

"See that guy smoking outside the store?" she asked.

Kat looked at the TV. "Sure."

"He's going to come in and buy some cigarettes. Chat him up. You might hit it off."

"Really?"

"Hey, another face, another chance."

Kat shrugged. "Alright. Well, is there anything you want from the store? Because I really can't keep you back here for very long. I got lemonade, I can make shakes, I can tie a cherry stem into a knot with my tongue, that sort of thing."

"Actually…" Elizabeth walked out of the backroom and immediately walked over to the candy aisles. She picked out five bars of chocolate and went up to the counter.

Kat eyed the candy with bewilderment. "You beat someone up and you want chocolate?" she asked as she punched a few keys on the cash register.

"I could use something sweet," Elizabeth replied.

"That'll be $1.50," Kat said after typing a few more keys.

Elizabeth had carried around a small wallet back in Fontaine's Department Store so she could use it on Circus of Values machines or stuff like that. But Atlas's Splicers had looted that long ago. All she had were a few quarters, which weren't going to pay for this at all.

"Erm…I'm all out," she said, embarrassed.

"Well, as great company you've been, I can't let you walk out of here unless I've got something," Kat said, tapping her finger against the counter.

"I've got some EVE hypos."

"I can just steal them from the back," Kat replied, shrugging. "Don't tell anyone," she added with a whisper.

Suddenly Elizabeth remembered her bird pendant, and how it had mysteriously appeared on Kat's arm back in the hallway. She reached down into her diving suit, pulled it out, and handed it to Kat.

She looked at it, puzzled. "What is this?"

"It's a pendant," Elizabeth said. "It's very…special to me."

Kat held it up to the light. "Hmm…special in sentimentality, I suppose. Not actually that valuable in a pawn shop."

Elizabeth wondered how affected the universe would be if she leaped over the counter and choked the girl to death for making such a comment.

But she didn't have to worry about that when Kat said, "You know what? I like it. Take the chocolate."

She pushed the bag of chocolate forward and went back to admiring the pendant.

Elizabeth took the bag off the counter and was about to leave when the front door dinged. In came Angus MacLachlan, in the process of removing his fedora.

"You open?" he called. "I didn't see anyone at the counter a few minutes ago." He looked at Elizabeth, puzzled. "What's with the diving suit?"

"Costume party," Elizabeth and Kat replied at the same time.

Elizabeth looked at the clerk. "Remember, try your luck," she whispered.

Kat nodded and looked at Angus. "How can I help you?"

Knowing where this was going, Elizabeth quickly walked out of the store and found herself on Fargo Street.

* * *

She wasn't entirely sure how she had ended up in 1954, and she certainly didn't know how to get out. Wondering if she should try out a career in Rapture and then make a run for it before the Civil War, it hit her that she had just given away her pendant.

"Shit," she muttered as she turned around and walked back into the store.

* * *

Angus was leaving now with a pack of cigarettes and a piece of paper with a number on it. He took a moment to stare at Elizabeth's diving suit before shrugging and exiting.

"Back so soon?" Kat asked. "You were right, by the way. That guy there? Name's Angus. Lives just beyond the Delta Casino in Remco Apartments. Gave him my number."

"Told you he was a good choice," Elizabeth said nervously.

"Listen, about this pendant," Kat said as she took it out and admired it once more. "Where'd you get it?"

"On the street," Elizabeth replied. "They had two available: bird or the cage. I ended up picking bird."

"Huh," Kat said as she attached the pendant to a bracelet she had on her left arm. "Personally, I would've gotten the cage."

"Perhaps." Elizabeth eyed the pendant nervously: it was one of her few reminders of her time in Columbia, the only time she really got to spend with Booker DeWitt.

Kat had noticed Elizabeth's expression. Awkwardly, she lowered the arm with the pendant. "Do you want this back?"

She did. She truly did. But then Kat wouldn't have it on her arm in the future.

"No, keep it," Elizabeth said. Who was she to cause paradoxes when doing so wouldn't protect the universe from Zachary Hale Comstock? "Think of it as a good luck charm."

"Thanks," Kat shrugged. "Need anything else?"

"No, I think I'm done here," Elizabeth said. She glanced at her arm, which was now starting to become covered in steam. Steam that only she could see, apparently. "Uh…it seems I'm really done here. Toodles."

Kat smiled, then returned to reading the magazine on her desk. After a few seconds it occurred to her she'd never learned the girl's name. But upon looking up, she found herself facing an empty store.

"Huh," she muttered. "Didn't even hear her leave."

* * *

Elizabeth was shocked to find herself suddenly standing in the burned out shell of Sinclair Pharmaceuticals once more.

Amber was still rummaging around. She looked up at Elizabeth. "What's in the bag?" she asked.

Elizabeth looked down, realizing she was still carrying the plastic bag from 1954. "Oh, it's…chocolate," she said, pulling out one bar and opening it. "Ever had it?"

"Gimme!" Amber exclaimed. Laughing, Elizabeth broke it in half and handed a piece to the Little Sister. She munched on it eagerly as Elizabeth helped herself to the rest.

The chocolate brought some relief. When she was with Booker she would sneak some occasionally (though she found it was difficult to find chocolate in places one would expect it to be in, at one point finding a hot dog in a bon-bon box), and she sometimes consumed it for health when fighting, but she never really had a chance to enjoy it.

"Amber, don't eat that so quickly, you might get sick," she said, looking at the Little Sister. The girl paid no mind as she quickly finished the chocolate.

"More?" she asked, looking up innocently.

"That's enough for now," Elizabeth said, putting the remaining bars in her satchel. She walked over to the counter and checked for some other things she could rummage. One thing she noticed was an audio diary lying on the floor. It was dated December 31, 1959.

* * *

_"__New Years Eve away from home,"_ said the voice of Kat the Splicer. _"Angus said he'll pop by soon to check on me. It's depressing as hell running a store late at night, but the boss says every celebrating couple will need a late night smoke."_ She cackled, then let out a few guffaws and a hiccup. _"…yeah. As for me, I've helped myself to the liquor cabinet. Well, at least I was able to kiss Amy good night. Mrs. Yasmine is babysitting, so we—"_ there was a loud explosion. _"Hang on, what was that…?"_

There were shouts, more explosions, and the sound of bullets. Suddenly, the front door dinged, signalling that someone was entering the store.

Kat managed to let out a, _"What are you…"_ before a shot was fired and she hit the ground with a loud thud.

_"__Torch the place, Kieran!"_ a voice cackled in the background over Kat's pained breaths.

_"__I'm bleeding…oh my god…"_ Kat gasped.

_"__Girly's still alive!"_ another voice shouted. There was a loud "fwoom": the store was now in flames.

_"__Don't bother with her! She'll burn in the fire!"_

* * *

Elizabeth felt a migraine come on. Several images flashed through her head: Kat crawling across the floor; a shelf falling over and landing on her leg; the flames reaching her face and burning the flesh; Angus breaking into the store and dragging Kat out.

Elizabeth felt her nose. It was bleeding a little less than before, which, all things considered, was probably the best news she had heard all day.

"Come on, Amber," she muttered. "I think we've spent enough time in here."

She paused. Where had Amber gone? Glancing over, she noticed the girl was smelling a burned smock, the one Kat had been wearing the night the place burned.

"Amber?"

The Little Sister looked up. "It smells like honey," she said.

Elizabeth couldn't imagine the smell of charcoaled cotton even remotely resembled the smell of honey, but she wasn't about to debate that: they needed to move.

"I'll get you a better one later," she said, reaching for the item.

The girl clutched the smock. "I want it," she snapped. For a brainwashed five-year old, this child had an attitude.

Elizabeth's thoughts went to the moment before the hospital where Amber had given Kat her ADAM: as Tenenbaum had theorized, Amber probably knew Kat when she was alive. The Little Sister could probably still sense the smell on the smock.

Elizabeth sighed. "Alright. Keep the thing." She didn't have the energy to argue with a Little Sister.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Let's get something straight: Kat is not. She's actually pansexual, or, you know, whatever they called it in 1954.  
**

**I've learned that I write better when I don't write in the same location all the time. I wrote the basic structure of this chapter in my bedroom and completed it in the middle of the lounge at school.**


	9. Two Pair

Casinos in Rapture were home to madmen, murderers, and addicts. And they were pretty bad after the Civil War, too.

The Delta Casino, once a grand place to waste your life savings on, was a shell of its former self. Splicers had looted it to the bare bones, occupying most of the floors.

By sheer bad luck, Elizabeth and Amber had to go through it to continue on their journey.

* * *

_"__The place is loaded with Splicers,"_ Tenenbaum warned. _"I recognize your willingness to kill all in sight, but for now I beg that you lie low in here."_

"I'll try to heed that advice," Elizabeth said doubtfully. She wasn't so sure she was in full control of her protection bond.

The airlock cycled, and she was in the lobby of the Delta Casino. The first thing she noticed was that the radio was playing, "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square."

"You were singing that song, Lizzy!" Amber exclaimed.

"Yes, I was," Elizabeth replied. She quietly turned the radio off. It was an odd coincidence.

The second thing she noticed was an active Vita-Chamber to her left: she hadn't seen one of those in a while.

The third thing she noticed was a distinct ringing in her ears.

* * *

_"__Oh no, not this again…"_ Tenenbaum started to say as her radio cut to static.

"Hello?" Elizabeth hit the radio a few times. "Brigid?"

Something was scrambling the radio signal. Elizabeth tried adjusting the frequency.

_"__WELCOME TO THE DELTA CASINO!"_ a voice boomed from the speakers, causing her to drop the radio in fright. _"Rapture's finest establishment, home to money, food, and of course, girls! We're here to make this the best night of your life!" _Then, with a more sinister tone,_ "And possibly the last, Miss Comstock."_

"Who the hell are you?" Elizabeth asked, confused.

_"__I go by many names,"_ the voice purred. _"'Psychopath,' 'Murderer,' 'Lousy husband,' the list goes on. But my followers? They call me the Gambler."_

"Only a Splicer trying to form his own identity would go by that name. Who were you before that?"

_"__I was a dealer here. Give me an extra few bucks, I might deal the game in your favor. Be shrewd in your delivery, I might send you to bankruptcy."_

"Sleazy."

_"__You bet. Let me deal you a hand."_

A door burst open and out came a Splicer, dressed in white, with an Ace of Spades painted on his chest. He howled and waved a meat hook in the air, then ran straight for Elizabeth.

Sighing, she pulled out her gun and downed him in one shot. "Got a better hand for me? How about five aces?"

_"Ooh, think luck's in your favor, huh__? Gets a bit harder when there's more than one. Let me deal another hand."_

There was a whoop as four more Poker Splicers rushed out of the door. Elizabeth, sensing the danger, aimed her hand up at a nearby balcony and fired off a teleport dart. Dodging a punch thrown at her, she teleported up to the balcony and to (probable) safety.

"Alright, Gambler, you have my attention," she groaned, looking down at the Splicers who were frantically scurrying around the lobby, trying to find their lost target. "What is it you want?"

_"__I have some minor business I need handled here in this casino. Small things: kill this guy, kill that guy, start a generator, stuff like that. You do this for me, I'll let you leave the casino in one piece. We will never have to interact again."_

"And if I refuse?"

_"__We kill your Little Sister."_

Amber looked around. "What?"

_"__You can handle four Splicers just fine, but how about a whole army of them? Do you know how many lost souls there are in this casino that are more than willing to obey my every command? All it takes is one word, then they overwhelm you and steal the girl. Now, will you help me?"_

Elizabeth completely doubted the Gambler's word, but she didn't want any more trouble. She was also wary about activating the protector bond again. "Deal," she sighed.

_"__Really? Wow, I…honestly thought you'd do something like dare us to just try. Well, I guess I won't be needing…hey, Darrell!"_

There were some footsteps. _"Yes Gambler?"_

**BANG.** _"__You're fired!"_

This guy reminded Elizabeth of a certain artist she had once been employed to.

_"__Alright, that's over with. Your first task, ma'am, is to kill those Splicers down in the lobby without using a gun."_

Elizabeth glanced over the side. Without using a gun? That meant there was something in this lobby that didn't require bullets.

She felt her crossbow. In all the excitement, she'd forgotten she even had it. It still had the arrow she had picked up in the hospital.

Looking up, she noticed a large chandelier.

* * *

The Splicers stalked around the lobby, waiting for further instructions from the Gambler. They snarled and hissed, prepared to attack at the last moment.

They were so caught up in their aggression that they didn't notice the 30-ton chandelier falling from the ceiling until it was too late.

_"…__very clever,"_ the Gambler applauded. _"I didn't expect the Phantom of the Opera twist there."_

"The best ideas come from the best stories," Elizabeth said as she lowered her crossbow.

_"__Oh, I disagree. The best ideas come from the stories that become overrated successes for Lon Chaney. Your next assignment is this: the slot machines are connected to a broken power grid in the basement, and my followers love playing the slots. I need you to go down there and replace the fuses."_

Elizabeth laughed skeptically. "That's it? Why can't you do it yourself?"

_"__Crazy, scary Splicers who don't like the light. Also love to kill anyone who comes near them. You're perfect for the job."_

"You're afraid of Splicers? Isn't that a little…well, backwards?"

_"__Don't question me, Miss Comstock. I'm sending a security bot to give you a box of new fuses. Use these to replace the ones in the grid. The security bot will escort you to the stairs, but you're on your own after that."_

The security bot flew in from a nearby doorway and dropped a small box into Elizabeth's hands.

She inspected the contents. "This is no iPhone," she muttered, pocketing the box. Pausing to give Amber a reassuring hand hold, she began to follow the security bot.

* * *

The walk to the staircase was fairly uneventful, save for the fact that the entire staircase was…well, _gone_.

_"__Yeah, sorry about that. Fontaine's forces took out the staircase and the elevators on New Years' Eve. You're gonna have to go through the old maintenance elevator shaft."_

The elevator doors were still shut. Elizabeth pressed the button, half sarcastically, since there was a generator out. To her surprise, there was a ding and the doors opened up…to an empty shaft.

_"__The mechanical parts are still in place,"_ the Gambler noted. _"It's just the elevator car itself is now a pile of dust at the bottom of the shaft."_

Elizabeth looked down. It was a fair fall. She was about to activate the teleporter plasmid, but stopped. EVE was a precious substance, and it didn't make sense to use it in a non-combat situation. Plus, this suit was designed to withstand extreme pressure: could it withstand a hard landing?

"Hang tight!" she called to Amber before jumping down.

She hit the ground with a loud clang, which was a little jarring, but otherwise she felt fine: the suit had absorbed the vibrations.

"You okay?" she asked Amber.

The Little Sister had a very excited smile on her face. "Can we do it again?"

_"__Quite the companion you got there, Miss Comstock. Shame if something were to happen to her."_

"Don't test me."

_"A__nd miss out on some fun? I'll test as much as I want."_

Elizabeth looked up at the elevator doors. "Don't suppose you could open this thing?" she asked into the radio.

_"What, don't you have arms?"__  
_

"How strong do you think I am?"

_"…__you're in an elevator shaft. Pick up a strand of metal or something."_

Elizabeth did as she was told.

_"__Now try to bend it."_

Elizabeth's eyes widened as the piece bent with her strength.

_"__I thought as much. Your blood stream is pumping with ADAM: that Little Sister and all. Increases your strength by a fair shot."_

Elizabeth's mind flew back to her encounter with the Big Daddy: she had proven herself to be surprisingly agile, this strength could put that to good use.

"Right," she muttered, stretching her arms. She grasped the two elevator doors and forced them open. It was a tight fit, but she managed to squeeze herself and Amber through.

It was dark and moldy. Two words that one could use to describe Rapture in multiple situations.

The lights were out, save for a couple of hanging lamps. A radio was playing "Delilah Jones" by the McGuire Sisters.

_"__Tell me, you've brought that little girl into probably the most dangerous place in Rapture: the basement of the equivalent of a whorehouse. Why?"_

"Do you really think I'm going to trust someone like you with a valuable asset like a Little Sister?"

_"__Is that what she is to you? An asset?"_

"Not to me. I have no interest in taking her ADAM."

_"__A lot of them say that. You saw what you could do with that strand of rebar, or those elevator doors. Imagine what could happen if you took on a steady supply of ADAM. Just imagine—your own personal Little Sister."_

"You just described a scenario more suitable to your own standards than mine. She is a little girl, and I will make sure she stays that way."

_"__No one stays a little girl for long. You of all people should know that."_

"You don't know me."

_"__I know your type. And I've heard all about you: I did some business with Atlas…Fontaine… back in the day. Cheated him out of some money, he wrecked my casino on New Years' Eve, I called us even and that was that... Told me all about the woman who killed that gumshoe, Booker DeWitt. How her looks were so deceiving: put on the image of helplessness, and inside was a cold-blooded murderer."_

"If I'm a murderer, what are you?"

_"__Only human."_

Elizabeth scoffed. "Like any of your kind are human."

* * *

The first sign that something was seriously wrong with this basement was a shrine dedicated to a dead body hung up on a cross, its insides cut open.

Elizabeth suddenly had several images flash through her mind of a Splicer screaming as he was nailed to the cross and then sliced open alive. She queasily took a deep breath.

"Is that an angel?" Amber asked, grasping the bars of her cage.

"That's…" Elizabeth trailed off, trying to think of a response. "…not worth talking about."

Amber sighed and sat down on the cage floor. "I'm bored," she complained.

_She wouldn't be if she understood what that thing was,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. _Why are they worshiping a dead body? There shouldn't be any religion in Rapture. Unless…_

She eyed the room, looking for a sign of the perpetrators of this deed. But there was no one in sight. The whole thing made her feel uneasy.

Then she noticed an audio diary lying on the ground. Pausing to note that it was from a few days before, she picked it up and pressed "play."

_"__It's very simple, Mr. Webley,"_ a voice growled. _"Pledge your allegiance to the Rapture Family, and you walk free."_

There was some sobbing and gasping in the background, probably this "Webley" fellow.

_"__I came to Rapture to get away from religion,"_ Webley breathed. _"I won't pledge allegiance to any damn worshipping group."_

_"__Defiant as always. We have you nailed up to a cross, prepared to kill you in seconds, yet here you are refusing to join us. It's admittedly admirable, Mr. Webley. So admirable that I'll give you another chance: will you pledge allegiance to the Rapture Family?"_

_"__Go to hell, Wales."_

"Huh," Elizabeth commented. "Simon Wales, preacher of the Rapture Family. And he operated down here."

Wales's voice sighed. _"Damn,"_ he muttered. _"Well, on the upside, by our standards, that's where you'll be going. Darrell: cut him open."_

_"__Such wasted bravery,"_ Darrell muttered. _"Hold still, Webley."_

There was a rather disgusting noise, followed by a loud scream. Elizabeth immediately stopped the recording, glancing up at the body and the obvious lack of…well, everything that's inside of a body.

"This Rapture Family business is as sicko as I remember_,_" she muttered.

She turned to leave, and nearly stubbed her toe on another audio diary.

"Property of...Robert Lutece?" She quickly pressed play.

_"Following the death of the girl and during our wait for her resurrection, my sister and I have taken the opportunity to inspect the Vita-Chamber system. Suchong was a horrible person, but his work on this system is without a doubt one of the most impressive jobs we've seen. Imagine: the ability to actually cheat death. Still, we do have some...moral concerns about it. For example, if someone were to, god forbid, die of old age in Rapture, would they suddenly wake up seconds later from a Vita-Chamber, then keel over and die once more, then...my point is, one should not have the power to cheat death. Jack Ryan got off lucky__—Rapture needed him alive. But Elizabeth...we only brought her back because we believed she deserved a better ending. Does she truly deserve a second chance if she dies again?"  
_

"I think I do," Elizabeth muttered.

Robert paused. _"When this is all over, we need to remove the girl from the Vita-Chamber system."_

* * *

She walked up to the generator. It was a simple mechanism. Childishly simple, in fact. All she needed to do was replace some circuits in a panel and she was all set.

She began to load the replacement fuses in when she heard a clang from the hallway. Clangs were never a good sign: they usually meant someone was about to jump out of nowhere and kill her. And she didn't like when that happened.

She continued to fix the circuits, but couldn't help glancing behind her back every few seconds, waiting for whatever it was that would jump out and try to kill her.

She replaced the final circuit. Slamming the panel, she pulled out her gun and aimed it down the dark hallway, watching it intently.

Then she noticed the generator wasn't running. "Shit," she muttered, flicking a switch. A moment later, it made a whirring noise.

Suddenly, a loud ringing filled the room. Elizabeth collapsed, covering her ears. Amber began wailing.

The ringing stopped. Elizabeth stood up, taking a breath.

"Amber, are you alright?" she asked.

"Noise bad," Amber replied.

Elizabeth sighed. "Yeah, it was." She felt herself. Was it just her, or was she feeling weaker mentally? That was when she noticed that her nose was bleeding again. What the hell just happened?

There was another clang from the hallway. Elizabeth held up her gun and stared down the corridor, nervous.

If only she had stared at the ceiling.

* * *

Elizabeth blinked. Something had dropped on her head. She tried to get up, but instantly felt her arms and legs get pinned down by four sets of hands.

She could hear Amber screaming. "LIZZY! LIZZY!" There was a tear as the cage was ripped off her back.

"Shut the girl up!" a voice screeched.

"Let her scream, we gotta hold the woman down!" another voice shouted.

"Let me go!" Elizabeth shouted from inside her helmet. She struggled, managing to get her left leg loose and kicking the one who had been holding it down.

"Pretty lady kicked my nose!" someone wailed. "Shoot her!"

Elizabeth felt her helmet get torn off. She looked up to see a Splicer carrying Amber's cage with the Little Sister screaming at the top of her lungs.

"AMBER!" Elizabeth shouted. Her vision turned red. She shouted in her protector voice, **"Give me the girl!"**

"SHUT UP!" a Leadhead shouted. He pulled out his gun, intending to silence her.

Elizabeth managed to free her left hand and fired off a teleportation dart. Slamming her fist against the ground, she teleported away from the Splicers holding her down.

"Shit!" one of them shouted. Those were rather typical last words for someone who got gunned down by a hail of bullets.

Elizabeth lowered her gun and let out a blood-curling scream into the basement, one so loud that even she was impressed.

Trying to compose herself, she ran straight down the hallway. The Little Sister had to still be in the basement: she could hear the crying.

**"I'm coming for you!"** she called out. She turned a corner, hoping to at least get a glimpse of Amber.

Instead, she felt a bullet fly straight into her forehead, through her brain, and out the back of her head, fired by a Splicer that had been waiting for her.

With no time to respond or retaliate, she hit the ground with a slam.

* * *

_The room was dark._

_A distant drum echoed all around…or maybe it was just Elizabeth's heart beating. She couldn't tell._

_A nearby radio played "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square." But it wasn't a very clean recording, like the one she heard in the lobby: this sounded distorted, and a bit unnerving.  
_

_In the center of the room was a mirror. Elizabeth stepped towards it hesitantly._

_She looked in. Her reflection stared right back at her._

_Elizabeth squinted. What was the point of this?_

_She didn't have time to think about it, for she felt a tap on her shoulder. Standing behind her was Robert Lutece.  
_

_"You're lucky," he said quietly. "Looks like you get another chance." He raised a finger and touched Elizabeth's forehead, and the image dissipated._


	10. Little Girl Lost

Elizabeth hit the ground in front of the Vita-Chamber. She had a splitting headache—as in her head had been split in two by that shot, and she could still feel the pain even though that injury had been healed. Her helmet, as it had been removed, did not regenerate with the rest of her body in the Vita-Chamber.

She pushed herself to her feet. **"Where's the girl?"** she growled angrily. To herself, she thought, _Protector voice, right._

_"__You know, the funny thing about Vita-Chambers,"_ the Gambler said. _"They usually work, but it's possible to delay their activation for at most an hour. In short, you've been dead for about ten minutes."_

**"****Answer me. Where is the girl?"**

_"__That's a good look for you, don't you agree?"_

Elizabeth caught a glimpse of her reflection in a mirror. Her eyes had turned a bright red, and her veins glowed a bright orange color. So that was what she looked like as an angered protector.

_"__Little Sisters are like alcohol to us: we can't get enough of them. I got a whole crowd of Splicers up here, just itching for a taste of her delicious ADAM."_

Amber screamed over the radio.

_"__Oh my god, shut up, kid! We're up on the 13__th__ floor."_

**"****I'm going to find you, and I will tear you limb from limb!"** _Jesus, that's a bit drastic._

_"__Maybe so. Still, it'll be fun to challenge you. I'm giving you five minutes to save Amber. Clock is ticking, Miss Comstock. Make your move."_

Elizabeth snorted. The Gambler had gone against his word. As long as she was around, he wouldn't survive the night.

* * *

The Gambler stared at the computer console, watching Elizabeth step into the elevator.

"How persistent," he commented.

"You know, she's going to get up here no matter what we do," one of his soldiers warned.

"Yes…pity, isn't it?" the Gambler sighed. "Still, it doesn't hurt to slow her down until we're done here. Let's get the drop on her."

* * *

The elevator came to an abrupt halt. Elizabeth looked around, startled. A moment later, the lights flickered off.

Elizabeth activated the torch on her left gauntlet and glanced up. She could hear banging in the elevator shaft. There were Splicers there, ready to get the drop on her.

She grasped her meat hook and bent it so it formed a straight, long piece. She didn't have time for ambushes. She grasped the elevator car walls and climbed up to the ceiling. Then, she listened.

She heard a loud bang directly to her left. Quickly, she launched the straightened meat hook upwards, then quickly retracted it after hearing a pained scream. The retraction was followed by a loud thud.

Smiling with satisfaction, Elizabeth launched the hook upwards into another random spot, then quickly retracted it. Another scream, another thud.

Then the elevator began to shake. The Splicers were trying to throw her off balance. They were trying too hard, actually. If only...

Elizabeth listened over the shouts of premature victory. The elevator cable was making a loud creaking noise: it would snap in seconds. With a deep breath, she walked up to the doors and shoved her fingers in the space between.

Then she heard a loud snap. That was her signal.

"Shit!" a Splicer shouted.

With a mighty heave, Elizabeth shoved the elevator doors open and leaped onto the side of the shaft, grasping onto a metal bar as the elevator plunged to the bottom, taking the screaming Splicers with it.

* * *

The elevator door on the 13th floor began to make some odd banging noises. This was followed by a small silence, then a loud creaking noise, accompanied by the doors being forced open by a pair of ADAM-enriched hands.

Elizabeth stumbled out. A Splicer who had been making his patrol of the slot machines nearby only had enough time to look up in surprise before a straightened meat hook went straight through his skull.

Elizabeth pulled it out. **"I'M COMING FOR YOU,"** she shouted down the hallway.

* * *

The Gambler picked up the box on his desk and took out the gun that lay inside.

"Fat lot of good this will do me," he muttered, getting out of his chair. "'Bring them the girl and wipe away the debt' my ass."

He grabbed a bar of chocolate lying on the desk and took a large bite out of it. He savored the taste for a long moment.

The door swung open, and Elizabeth stumbled in. Within moments, she had pinned the Gambler to the ground.

**"****WHERE IS SHE?"** she shouted.

The Gambler smiled. "Rational thought isn't something the protector bond really allows. Tell me, do you really think I would keep a Little Sister with me when she has a protector who would kill to keep her safe?"

**"****Not…**here…?" Elizabeth asked, her eyes slowly returning to a normal shade and her voice morphing back into something more like her own.

"Halfway to Mars, I'm afraid."

Elizabeth let go of the man and frantically began looking around the room. "Nononono…WHERE IS SHE?!"

The Gambler stood up and stared at Elizabeth. "My work here is done," he said, raising the gun to his head.

But his suicide was not to be, for as soon as she saw what he was doing, Elizabeth swung her meat hook at him, slicing his right arm right off the shoulder. He screamed in pain as Elizabeth shoved him against the wall. Her eyes quickly turned to red and her blood boiled with the ADAM as her protector form returned.

**"****Answer me again, and I might give you the benefit of a quick death,"** she whispered. **"Where is the girl?"**

The Gambler simply grinned. "I ain't sayin' a word."

**"****Fine then."** Elizabeth clenched her fist and sent it straight into the Gambler's stomach. He gagged with horror. **"One last chance: where's the girl?"**

The Gambler weakly tried to grin, but was interrupted by Elizabeth grabbing at his liver and twisting it. "SHE'S WITH LAMB!" he managed to shout. "The girl's with Sofia Lamb!"

Elizabeth squinted her eyes as her protector form calmed down. **"You've been very** helpful," she said. And she jerked her hand upwards through his torso, slicing the Gambler in half. With an unhappy sigh, he collapsed on the ground in pieces.

There was an audio diary sitting in the chair at a nearby desk. She picked it up and pressed play.

_"__I have the girl with me, Lamb,"_ the voice of the Gambler said, sounding exhausted. _"I did as you asked. You promised me my debts to all the sleazebags in Rapture would be paid if I did this one request. I won't have to hole myself up in this damn control room."_

There was some panicked crying in the background: Amber.

_"__Yes, you most certainly have, Mr. Kennedy,"_ replied the voice of Sofia Lamb. But it wasn't on a radio: Lamb had been in this room only minutes before. _"And your debts are repaid with this box."_

The Gambler opened the box. _"What, are you kidding? A gun? Like that's gonna help me against those maniac Splicers. And it only has one bullet."_

_"__Precisely,"_ Lamb replied. _"One bullet to take one life."_

_"__I'm not sure I…"_

There was a shocked pause of realization.

_"__You won't have any debts to repay when you're dead, Mr. Kennedy. Besides, don't you agree you've lived long enough?"_

The Gambler sighed. _"I suppose there's only so much I can put up with. Fine."_ There was a click as he armed the gun.

_"__Wait a moment,"_ Lamb said. _"I have one more request. When you reactivate that Vita-Chamber, keep her distracted. Let her come all the way up here, only to find it was all for nothing. It will make the pain of it all…a little more significant."_

The recording cut out.

Elizabeth stared at the remains of the Gambler. "A quick death was too good for you," she said, noting her own blood-drenched glove.

* * *

There was a loud noise as the console came to life. _"I did warn you our next encounter would not be so pleasant, Miss Comstock,"_ said the voice of Sofia Lamb. _"But I suppose all warnings have to be taken with a pinch of salt. Pity you had to subject Mr. Kennedy to that treatment, but it was all for the best, I presume. But to the point: I have your Little Sister. And I must say, you've taken good care of her."_

_"__Let me go!"_ Amber could be heard screaming in the background. _"I want Big Sister! I want Lizzy!"_

"Lamb, what do you want from me?" Elizabeth asked, clenching her fists.

_"Just one thing, Miss Comstock. __I want you to rescue the Sister."_

"And if I don't?"

_"__We learned a long time ago that you know what I do with Little Sisters. Rather, what I will do."_

Elizabeth checked her gun clip. "Alright, you win, Lamb. I'm coming for the girl."

_"__A wise choice. I suppose I need to give you something for your efforts. Look in the cupboard to your left."_

Elizabeth looked. Inside was another diving suit. It resembled her current one, only this one had a cage already built into the tank, and a long needle protruded from the right arm.

_"__A prototype for a little project I am currently working on. Why don't we call it 'Big Sister'? Your little girl here seems to enjoy that name."_

_"__Lizzy!"_

_"__Don't worry, child, you will see your Lizzy soon. I've made a few adjustments to the standard diving suit: this one has stronger armor for extended use in high-pressure environments. Rather than a heavy tank of oxygen, I have installed a CO__2__ scrubber on the back. And the cage? It might prove a little more helpful than just mounting an old birdcage on your back. There's a radio built into your suit which you can control using a little device on your belt: no more carrying around a small radio. I have also put a needle on the right arm to give you easy access to ADAM, be it from a Little Sister or from some poor Rapture citizen. You will be able to extract ADAM directly from the body and deliver it into your bloodstream."_

"Awfully generous of you."

_"__Curious. You were hell-bent, pardon my language, on killing the Gambler when you learned he had taken the girl. Why do you not want to kill me?"_

"I know your fate, Lamb, you know that. It's not my place to kill you, no matter how much I hate you right now."

_"__How…pleasant. Well, that's all I have to say for now, Miss Comstock. The girl and I are in Triton's Grotto. We will talk again, and this time, in the flesh."_

The console shut off.

Elizabeth picked up the new diving suit. "Big Sister." That name was now echoing through her head. She tried to remember where she had heard it.

Something was off. She remembered vaguely knowing where the term had come from, but now it seemed like a firefly that was just out of reach from her hand.

Shaking it off, she took off her current diving suit. She paused for a moment to look down at her still-bloody outfit, which had been buried underneath the diving suit for some time now. It had also become quite sweaty, which she wasn't too happy about. She was about to put on the new one when…

* * *

Elizabeth found herself shoved against a wall by Kat the Splicer, her face now tear-stained and her eyes in a panic.

"What was the girl's name?!" she shouted.

"What?"

"The Little Sister that was following you before: what was her name?!"

Elizabeth stared at Kat.

"ANSWER ME!" Kat shouted.

"Amber! Her name was Amber!"

Kat's eyes widened. "No…nonononono…no…" She looked away from Elizabeth. "Where is she?!"

"Why do you care?"

Kat slammed Elizabeth against the wall once more. **"Where is my daughter?!"**

Elizabeth's eyes widened. _"Your __**WHAT?!"**_

* * *

Rosalind Lutece snickered. "Now that's a plot twist if I've ever seen one."

* * *

"WHERE IS SHE?!" Kat screamed.

"You're lying!" Elizabeth shouted angrily. "I know your type! You just want her ADAM!"

Kat gave Elizabeth such a pained look that it made her immediately regret what she had just said.

"This isn't possible..." Elizabeth stuttered. "You had a daughter, sure, but..."

* * *

_"The girl knows the Splicer...when the little ones encountered someone they knew before they were altered, they had the urge to provide them with ADAM."  
_

_"We want what's best for our little girl."_

_"Amy wants to know where you were. She misses you."_

_"I'll get you a better one later." "I want it."_

_Amy. Common name: I think a demon in the Bible used it. But it's also a nickname. Amelia, Amanda, Annamaria..._

**_Amber "Amy" MacLachlan._**

* * *

"Shit," Elizabeth cursed as it finally hit her.

"Where. Is. The girl?" Kat said through gritted teeth, in a whispered but harsh tone.

Elizabeth swallowed. "I don't have her anymore! They took her from me!"

Kat leaned in even more. "You _lost_ her?"

"She's your…oh my god…" Elizabeth blinked several times, trying to grasp the concept that had slammed into her brains like a wrecking ball. "I…I didn't know…"

"Of course you didn't," Kat hissed. "Miss Elizabeth Comstock, right? Always taking everything for yourself!" She raised her arm, showing the bird pendant. "You gave me this dud for chocolate! You killed my Angus! And now…you lost the girl?!"

"I'm…sorry…"

Kat slapped her hand across Elizabeth's face. "SORRY DOES NOT CUT IT!"

Elizabeth looked back at Kat and fumed. She grasped the wall behind her, pushed her legs upwards, and kicked Kat right in the stomach. The Splicer, startled by the show of force, was flung across the room and against a wall.

Without thinking, Elizabeth held up her arm and fired Incinerate at the Splicer. Thankfully, her aim was a little off, but it ignited the carpet, producing a wall of flame right in front of her.

The Splicer stared at the fire before her with horror. She began hyperventilating, and with a panicked scream, cowered against the back wall, whimpering.

_"__I want Angus, I want Angus,"_ she whispered. Her hand moved to her face and began stroking the burns she had sustained in the destruction of Sinclair Pharmaceuticals.

Elizabeth, recovering from her initial anger, grabbed a Winter Blast plasmid sitting on a nearby desk, inserted it into her system, and launched it at the fire, extinguishing it.

Kat, realizing she could no longer feel the heat of the flames, looked around, bewildered. Then she looked up at Elizabeth. Gritting her teeth, she stood up and began stumbling backwards. **"THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT!"** she shouted as she made it out the door. "EVERY BAD MOMENT THAT'S EVER HAPPENED TO ME: IT ALL FALLS TO YOU!" And then she ran back down the hallway.

Elizabeth stared at the empty threshold, completely baffled by the events of the past five minutes. "Come back!" she shouted.

But Kat was gone.


	11. Partners

Drug stores in the mid-20th Century were markedly different from the pharmacies you see today. Sales were not limited to medication: they had soda fountains, lemonade, milkshakes, pies, etc. Nevertheless, the job back then probably wasn't much more exciting than the job today.

* * *

The other side of the Delta Casino led out into another street. Unlike Fargo Street, it seemed to be more of a residential area.

On her back, Elizabeth carried her old diving suit. She personally didn't need the thing anymore: it was for someone else.

She tried the radio. "Brigid?" she called.

No response, only static.

She tried changing the frequency. "Brigid?"

More static.

"Dammit." Someone was jamming her signal again, probably Sofia Lamb.

The street seemed deserted. That was never a good sign in Rapture.

Elizabeth picked up a long piece of metal lying on the ground next to her. With some hesitation, she hit it against a metal trash can, creating a loud "bang" noise. Then she waited.

A moment later, a Splicer hopped out from a pool of water and ran straight at her. A single gunshot and it was dead on the ground.

"Don't fight the battles you can't win," Elizabeth said with a smile as she walked up to the corpse. Odds were this thing had ADAM from ambushing so many other Splicers.

She thought for a moment. ADAM was dangerously addictive, but she had seen the effect it had on her body: she needed all the strength she could muster.

Taking a deep breath, she stabbed the needle into the dead Splicer's body and extracted a large amount of ADAM.

It ran through her veins, altering her very structure in each moment. It reminded Elizabeth of Amber, and that made her a bit sad.

Suddenly, her vision changed into a bluish color. She was experiencing an ADAM ghost vision.

* * *

_The Splicer from the pool hopped out and ran straight at the female. The female responded by picking up a piece of metal from the ground and slamming it straight into the Splicer's face._

_"__OW!" the pool Splicer shouted. "What the hell, lady?!"_

_"__Alright, bucko," the female growled. _Elizabeth realized with surprise it was Kat the Splicer. This vision was only a few minutes old. _"I've had enough shit happen to me, I'm not gonna let a dumbass like you make it worse. I'm going to apartment 821 in the Remco Building. You are welcome to follow me and kill me there once your jaw feels better." She took out an old EVE hypo, stabbed it into her arm, and pulled out some ADAM. "That's for your troubles. I don't want nothing to do with this shit anymore. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gonna do something with my life." _She pulled out the needle and disappeared from the vision, but it was clear she had tossed the ADAM over to the other Splicer.

_The pool Splicer pushed himself off the ground, flipped the bird at Kat, and then returned to his pool, grumbling about humiliation at the hands of a girl._

* * *

Kat had a lot of spunk. Considering all that she had been through, that was admirable.

_Apartment 821 in Remco Apartments_. It was the right building: Kat had told her in 1954 that was where Angus lived. And if this was the direction Kat had gone, she would get some hard questions answered.

* * *

The Remco Building was almost completely abandoned. There were a couple of Splicers roaming around on the lower levels, but it was fairly easy to just walk by them.

Elizabeth did find some trouble at one point, however. A Splicer stood on the landing of the 4th floor, admiring the ADAM it had gathered.

Elizabeth creeped up behind the Splicer, put her hand over its mouth and put it in a chokehold. The Splicer gagged and tried to get out of the grasp, but Elizabeth was too strong.

"Shhh…" Elizabeth whispered. "Think of it as mercy."

The Splicer struggled in protest. It tried to grab at Elizabeth's head.

This was going to take too long. Elizabeth squeezed her arm tighter. There was a loud crack, and the Splicer slumped over, its neck broken.

"Thanks for the ADAM," Elizabeth muttered as she gathered the vials of liquid that lay before her.

* * *

Finally, she reached apartment 821. Odds were Kat was somewhere in there. She wasn't sure how the Splicer would receive her.

With some hesitation, Elizabeth rapped her hand against the door.

A second later, it fell forward.

_I think I'll just invite myself in_, she thought with a roll of her eyes.

* * *

Elizabeth removed her helmet and placed it on a coffee table, along with her old diving suit. The house seemed quite cozy: she could imagine a small family living there. As expected, there were a couple of toys lying on the ground: teddy bears, dolls, and even a dollhouse. But Kat was nowhere to be seen.

The main bedroom door was open. Elizabeth walked in, noting the bed had not been made. She looked over at a drawer and spotted an audio diary, dated January 3, 1959. She picked it up and pressed "play."

It was Angus. _"We came home last night. Found Amy and Mrs. Yasmine cowering in the closet, God bless their souls. Apparently some of Atlas's Splicers came through."_ He paused. _"I was right about Amy recognizing her mother. But…she's not taking it so well. We were having dinner, first thing she said when we all sat down was, 'Mommy, when are you going to be human again?' Kat immediately left the table and holed herself up in the bedroom. She's sleeping now, but clearly she's shaken."_

Another diary: this one was by Kat, recorded on February 14, 1959.

_"__God awful excuse for a Valentine's Day,"_ she grumbled. _"Fights going on outside, constant broadcasts from Ryan, Amy always asking me when I'll be better again. I've actually started saying 'Amber' whenever I get angry with her. And I…I get angry a lot these days."_ There was the sound of some shuffling, like she was looking through a bag. _"This ADAM and EVE stuff: it's doing something to us. I can barely think straight anymore."_

Elizabeth put the diary down. Suddenly, her vision blurred: ADAM ghosts.

* * *

_Amber sat on the floor, playing with a doll. Kat and Angus were shouting at each other. Their arguments were impossible to hear, until finally…_

_"__Amber! Why are you just sitting there?!" Kat screamed. "Why can't you be useful around here?"_

_Amber looked up. Clearly she had no idea why her mother was yelling at her._

_Kat snarled and slapped her hand across her daughter's face. The girl screamed and began to cry. The future Splicer's posture quickly changed and she immediately hugged her daughter._

_"__Oh my god, I'm so sorry!" she whispered. "I don't know why I…I don't…"_

_"__What the hell is happening to us?" Angus groaned as he stared at his spliced features in the mirror. Shaking his head, he walked over and hugged his wife and child._

* * *

Mood swings, a penchant for violence: Kat and Angus were losing their minds from the ADAM, and Amber was at the tail end of all of it.

Not seeing much else in the master bedroom, she decided to have another look at the living room: odds were there was another audio diary in there.

Sure enough, there was one in the cabinet under the TV. This one was by Angus, recorded April 3, 1959.

_"__I came home this afternoon to find the door wide open and Kat lying on the floor, clutching that teddy bear Amy always carries around. Apparently at lunchtime after the last anger spell, she went to the bedroom to have a nap."_ He groaned. _"I guess Amy got scared, because when Kat woke up, the door was wide open. We went out to look for her, but the soldiers told us we needed to stay indoors. Said they would look for her."_ He took a deep breath. _"I don't trust those soldiers. When we told them our daughter had run off, they looked at each other nervously. I could swear one of them whispered, 'I thought she was just another orphan!'"_

On another shelf was the last audio diary, recorded by Kat on April 12, 1959.

_"__We can't stay in this house: too many bad memories. Angus doesn't want us to do that George and Mariska Lutz did after they saw what happened to Masha. Dammit, I'm not even sure we should live in Rapture anymore, but Ryan's got the whole place on lockdown. No one's getting in and no one's getting out. I swear on my knees, we will live to see our daughter again, not as a Little Sister, but as a human being."_

Elizabeth shuffled uncomfortably.

_"__Angus got us a room at the Reeve Hotel. Smaller, cheaper, and away from most of the Atlas folks. Amy…Amber 'Amy' MacLachlan…if you hear this, please…come back to us."_

* * *

Elizabeth slammed her fist against her head. Then she rubbed her head in pain, having forgotten her own strength.

It had all been in plain sight: the Splicer recognizing the girl at the hospital, Amber protecting Kat…how could she have been so blind?

Kat and Angus had lost Amber to Andrew Ryan's forces, looking for Little Sisters to gather ADAM.

* * *

It was then that Elizabeth noticed that there was some muttering coming from another room. Cautiously, she stood up and tiptoed her way down the hallway, finally pushing open a door already slightly ajar.

Kat had her face buried in the sheets of a small, unmade bed, with a teddy bear sitting at the headboard. The Splicer was whispering about a lost girl.

Before Elizabeth could say anything, her vision blurred as another ADAM vision came to her.

* * *

_Kat lay on the bed next to her daughter._ This vision seemed older: from happier days for the MacLachlans.

_"__Mommy, what are birds?" Amber asked innocently._

_"__They're creatures that live on the surface," Kat explained. "They have wings, so they can fly through the air."_

_"__Are they pretty?"_

_"__Some of them are, yes. And some are ugly, but whether something is pretty or ugly does not change who they are as a person."_

_"__Does it change who they are as a bird?"_

_Kat laughed. "No, it doesn't."_

_Amber played with her nails. "Can birds talk?"_

_"__Most of them can't," Kat replied. "But parrots: parrots can mimic anything a person tells them." She put on a goofy expression and exclaimed in a funny voice, "Polly want a cracker! Polly want a cracker!"_

_Amber giggled. "Can birds sing?"_

_"__Oh yes, they certainly can. Birds can sing some of the most beautiful songs in the world."_

_"__Can you sing me a bird song?"_

_Kat rubbed her daughter's hair. "If you promise to go to sleep."_

_"__Fine," Amber grumbled._

_Kat chuckled. Then she cleared her throat. _"That certain night, the night we met/There was magic abroad in the air/There were angels dining at the Ritz/And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square."

The sound echoed in the vision, turning the usually tame tune into a haunting melody. It sent shivers up Elizabeth's spine.

_Kat continued to sing. _"I may be right, I may be wrong/But I'm perfectly willing to swear/That when you turned and smiled at me/A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…"

_By then Amber had dozed off. Kat smiled, and gently kissed her daughter on her forehead.  
_

* * *

Elizabeth's vision cleared. She stared at the Splicer, who still hadn't noticed she was no longer alone.

The whole thought of it: a loving mother like Kat, losing her daughter to the ADAM madness. The girl had run away from home, encountering some soldiers outside the apartment building. Thinking she was just an orphaned girl, they sent her off to be turned into a Little Sister. In the meantime, Kat and Angus were left to grieve, never thinking they would see their daughter again. And to think, Kat had come so close…

Elizabeth stepped over. "Kat?"

The Splicer froze, and looked up. She stared at Elizabeth, unsure of what to do next.

Elizabeth held her breath. Perhaps she could avoid a confrontation.

But there was no such luck, for the Splicer snarled, jumped up, and ran straight for her.

Elizabeth braced herself and held up her arm, blocking Kat from coming much closer. "Be still!" she shouted. "I just want to talk about Amber! Your daughter!"

"What do you have to say?!" Kat shouted. Elizabeth jerked her arm, and the Splicer stepped back. "You killed Angus, and then you just…just…LOSE my daughter?!"

"I told you, she was taken!" Elizabeth shouted. "Sofia Lamb has her! I can get her back!"

"How could you have lost her in the first place?! You were her protector!"

Elizabeth became very quiet.

"It's your job, you ignorant fuck! People in diving suits guarding the Little Sisters! Killing anyone who poses a threat! Why didn't you protect her, freak?!"

"Well, what about you?!" Elizabeth shouted angrily. She was not in the mood for this. "You let her leave the house right in the middle of a revolution! You go about blaming me for losing her?! You couldn't possibly have wanted to protect her as much as me!"

Kat's eyes widened. "I'm her _mother_," she whispered.

"Oh, well, boohoo! She'd certainly love to see her mother now, wouldn't she? A psychopathic monster obsessed with…with a liquid, of all things! And you know what, Splicers don't just lose sight of what they loved as normal human beings! When I saw you and Angus out in that hallway, you weren't looking for a little girl, you were looking for ADAM! Imagine what your priorities were when you still had a daughter! You didn't love her! You were practically asking for her to be taken!"

Kat stared at Elizabeth, devastated. "How could you even say that?" she asked quietly.

"I…I didn't mean—," Elizabeth could not believe what she had just said. "The words just…oh my god…"

"What kind of parent do you think I am?" Kat asked as she stepped forward, her expression unchanged. "Do you think I wanted this?"

"I…"

"Do you think any of _us_ wanted this?"

"Kat…"

"Do you think we came to Rapture so we could live in a hellhole and lose EVERYTHING we hold dear? To be buried alive in a metal coffin, scrounging around to survive, killing if we have to?"

"I'm s—."

"You can say 'sorry' as many times as you want, IT WILL DO YOU VERY LITTLE GOOD!"

The Splicer slammed her fists straight into the woman's stomach. Elizabeth felt so numb for what she had just done she let it happen without reaction.

"Fight back, Tin Woman!" Kat shouted.

Elizabeth stood firm. "No."

Kat screamed and slammed her fist into Elizabeth's stomach again. "It's a challenge you wanted, and you're getting it! I said fight back!"

"I won't fight you."

The Splicer stared at Elizabeth with utter disbelief. With an angered noise, she clenched her fist and sent it straight into Elizabeth's jaw. The woman stumbled backwards, jarred, but still refusing to fight back.

"Punch me back!" Kat screamed into Elizabeth's face, tears streaming from her eyes. "Beat me up! Come on, do something!"

Elizabeth only stared at the Splicer. Her mouth was starting to bleed, but she would not to react.

Reality was sinking in for the Splicer. She had three options available: punish those that had wronged her, get killed in her attempt to avenge her daughter, or face the fact that she wouldn't solve anything with option 1.

Kat was now desperate. "Kill me!" she pleaded. She slammed her fist into Elizabeth's stomach again. Her knuckles bled from the multiple blows. Exhausted, she grabbed at Elizabeth's shoulders in a last minute bid to shove her down.

Elizabeth would not fight back. "Kat," she said quietly. "Stop this. You're hurting yourself."

"Hurt is all I can get now!" Kat shouted. Her head was hunched over: she was trying to hide her face from Elizabeth's gaze. "You know what life's like for a Splicer? Hunt for ADAM with the constant fear someone is gonna get the drop on you? Yearning for your past life and knowing you're never gonna get it back? We're insane because it's the only way we can survive!" She looked up and stared straight into Elizabeth's eyes. "**Kill** me!"

Elizabeth took a deep breath and pulled Kat into a hug. The Splicer, exhausted, did not fight back as she wept in the woman's arms.

After a moment, the two sat down on the bed, not letting go.

"How old was she when you lost her?" Elizabeth asked.

"Only three," Kat murmured. "She would've been five a few weeks ago." She laid her head down on Elizabeth's lap. "After we found out what must've happened to her, we couldn't stay in the house. It was too dangerous, and the memories…it was awful."

"You moved to the Reeve Hotel," Elizabeth said, brushing some hair away from Kat's face. "I saw your room there."

"Angus vowed to protect us no matter the cost. But after Atlas's rebellion: his wife shot at her own job with a crushed foot and a burned face," she traced her fingers across the rough bumps on her own face. "His own family falling apart, and then the loss of his daughter: it drove us insane. That's why we turned to the ADAM," she held up an empty needle. "We thought it would ease our pain. We spent weeks roaming the city, looking for her, but we had to give up eventually. Our days were spent killing other Splicers, taking their ADAM, then screaming ourselves to sleep over our little girl. But after a while, we started to forget. We didn't remember her, we didn't remember our time together, and we didn't remember why we screamed every night. But we knew something hurt, and never got over it. The enhanced madness—Angus was unstable." She looked up at Elizabeth. "I didn't get these bruises just from burning in a fire," she sighed, feeling her own face. "I don't blame him: he never laid a hand on me like that in the old days. And I can't say I didn't hit him first on occasion."

"Relationship turned abusive," Elizabeth said, remembering the ghost vision from in the master bedroom.

"Physically, yes." Kat looked at her hand, still bleeding from her fight. "Emotionally, no. We weren't in control. Every time I looked into his eyes whenever we got into a fight…we were both begging each other for forgiveness." She felt the bruise that Elizabeth had left on her face earlier in the day. "He didn't want to hurt me again, but neither of us could stop ourselves. In some ways, you did him a favor."

Elizabeth swallowed. "I did not do anything of the sort. I killed him with absolutely no thought for the consequences. That's not something a good person d…" She trailed off, remembering the Splicer she had killed back in the stairwell. She nervously glanced down at her arm that had committed the deed.

"Elizabeth," Kat said firmly. "If you hadn't done something, we would've killed you. Trust me on this: you did the right thing." She sat up. "You know how addicts stop using a substance if they get the will to quit? Seeing her again after all these years…that was my will. Haven't touched any ADAM since she gave me the stuff." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a vial full of green liquid: ADAM in its purest state. Clutching it in her hand, she flung it at the wall. It shattered, the liquid splashing across the wallpaper. "I knew I was forgetting something, and I knew the ADAM would prevent me from remembering. So, it all had to go."

"And?"

Kat sighed. "You saw me in the casino. I was still a little nutty from the ADAM withdrawal, but I was starting to remember. I thought about killing you right there for losing her. You fought me off, and I knew I wasn't going to win, so…it gave me time to think."

"I'm amazed," Elizabeth said plainly. "The mere thought of your daughter kept your sanity in check."

Kat pursed her lips. "I had some help, actually." She reached under the bed and pulled out an audio diary. This was dated November 4, 1959.

* * *

_"__Of all the fucking…Angus is gonna kill me when he figures out I stole his ADAM. Or maybe I'll kill him and we'll call it—no. No, I'm not gonna do that. Hey, uh…me—Kat. Uh, just so you know, whenever you listen to this, we stole Angus's stash of ADAM so we could regain our sanity for a few minutes to record this audio diary and put it back in the apartment._

_"__When we're not hunting for ADAM and EVE and food all the time…which I guess is a lot…we're always screaming, right? Like we lost something that was important to us. And one night, we decided that the only way to figure out what happened was to take a satisfying dose of ADAM. And the memories came flooding back in seconds. Kat…do you remember Amber?_

_"__Unless something incredible happened in between now and whenever you're listening to this, I assume no. You had a daughter, Kat. She was a beautiful little girl. Her birthday was July 9, 1955. Funnily enough, you didn't actually realize you were pregnant until after you married Angus…you just assumed it was some conspiracy by Andrew Ryan._

_"__How is Angus, by the way? No, that's off-topic…okay, look. You got busy with work in the years before the rebellion, but you always made sure you were there for your daughter: you read her bedtime stories, you sang songs, you encouraged her to play the piano, you did everything. Knowing what Ryan and his men do, we both know Amber became a Little Sister._

_"__Kat, we can never lose sight of Amber. If you ever do find her, you have to care for her. We always care for the tasty Little Sisters and their delicious ADAM…NGH!"_ There was some fumbling, followed by a loud hiss as past Kat inserted some ADAM into her system. _"I don't have much time. The point is: find Amber. Give her the childhood she deserves. Be there for her. Don't let the insanity tear you to shreds."_

* * *

The recording cut out.

Kat tossed the audio diary around in her hands.

"So the thing that gave you strength in the end…" Elizabeth mused. "…was yourself."

"Very Ryan-esque," Kat shrugged. "We all learned something."

"So, no further signs of withdrawal?"

"Well, actually, I'm really craving chocolate right now."

Elizabeth thought about this. She reached into her satchel and pulled out a chocolate bar.

Kat looked at it, puzzled. "Where the hell did you get this?"

"Uh…found it rummaging around Sinclair Pharmaceuticals."

Kat shrugged. "Thanks, I guess." She tore open the package and began munching on the bar.

"I, uh…gave some to Amber," Elizabeth mentioned. "Ate it like a glutton."

Kat laughed. "I sometimes stole sweets from the back room and gave them to her." She stopped eating and looked over at a sad-looking dollhouse. "You know, when I saw her back in that hallway, I didn't know what I wanted: to kill her and take her ADAM, or just to run up and hug her tightly."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "What do you want now?"

The Splicer leaned on Elizabeth's shoulder. "I just want her back, you know?" she whispered. "I want things to be normal again."

Elizabeth looked over at the teddy bear sitting on the pillow. She picked it up and handed it to Kat. "It can be," she said. "I can get her back. I can rescue her from Lamb. And I can cure her: make her a little girl again. She can live out a safe, normal life on the surface. But I can't do it alone. Will you help me?"

Kat stared at the teddy bear. "She called this guy Mr. Fuzzy," she muttered.

Elizabeth smirked. "Well, that's disarmingly adorable."

Taking a deep breath, Kat looked at Elizabeth. "When do we start?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Ever seen _Sleep No More_? Good stuff.**

**Also, you should try a Cuban sandwich. Damn good food.**

**Did you know scrambled eggs are supposed to be cooked in a pot?**

**(I didn't know what to write here.)**


	12. Siphon

**Your eyes don't shine like they used to shine  
**

**And the thrill is gone when your lips meet mine**

**I'm afraid the masquerade is over**

**And so is love, and so is love**

* * *

"I don't suppose you know the way to Triton's Grotto?"

Kat had outfitted herself with Elizabeth's old diving suit. It didn't fit quite as well as she would have liked, but it was added protection for what lay ahead. She felt a little spooked knowing that the left gauntlet had touched a dead guy's liver.

"It's part of a huge shopping complex," she said after thinking for a moment. "It has—well, had—business offices, apartments, and a saltwater swimming pool. Most employees there would have lived in the apartments just above. Andrew Ryan commissioned it to replace the hole left in business by the loss of Fontaine's Department Store. Perhaps a little narcissistically, he called it 'Ryan's Department Complex.' It wasn't finished by the time the war started, so there's not a lot in there to loot, so I'm not so sure about what's inside the actual building. Triton's Grotto is a submarine pen where supplies for the store would have been delivered. The submarines are all non-functional, just so you're aware: Ryan had them all disabled."

"Where is it in relation to the Welcome Center?"

"Well, I suppose from here, it would merely be a detour."

Elizabeth smirked. "How convenient."

Kat scratched her head. "Listen, if we get her back…I don't suppose there's room in the bathysphere to the surface for me, too?"

"You really thought I was going to leave you down here?"

Kat shrugged. "We don't exactly have a good history as of late."

They stood there quietly. It was hard to not acknowledge the elephant in the room.

"Listen, is it wise for me to walk around here without a helmet?"

"Lamb's forces tore it off my head down in the basement of the Casino. It didn't regenerate with the rest of my body in the Vita-Chambers."

"Feel like taking a detour?"

Elizabeth looked at Kat, puzzled.

The Splicer sighed. "I haven't seen Amber in over a year," she said. "I can wait a little longer."

* * *

The trip to the basement was surprisingly uneventful. It seemed the surviving Splicers had left with Lamb.

"Eugh," Kat said, looking at the dead citizen on the cross. "Angus and I met Simon Wales a while back. Real psycho. He started shouting stuff at us about being naysayers, so Angus shot a bullet through his leg."

"Good way of handling someone like that."

"A bullet to the leg is a good way of handling anyone…hey, put that gun down, I was kidding."

* * *

They walked into the room with the generator. No Splicers in sight, but there was a small damp spot where Elizabeth had "died" a short while beforehand.

"Helmet," Elizabeth said, handing it to Kat.

"Thanks. Why the heck were you down here, anyway?"

"Some fellow named 'the Gambler' sent me down here to fix that generator. Had to replace some fuses then turn it back on."

Kat looked at the machine. "Hate to break it to you, but I don't think these are fuses." She pulled one out and showed it to Elizabeth. "These are dummies: they fit into the slot, but are, for all intents and purposes, useless." She opened a side panel and looked in. "If this is a generator, it certainly isn't any generator I've ever seen."

Elizabeth looked in. The inner pieces looked very familiar…

* * *

_"This is my tower…what's this…the siphon?"_  
_"I saw this there. I could hear you singing from above…and the machine came to life in response."_  
_"And then in my mother's grave, there was a smaller one…they were draining me…maybe that's why I can't—"_  
_"Can't what?"_  
_"When I was little, I used to be able not just to open tears, but I could create new ones…to anywhere I wanted to go. But in the tower…"_

* * *

"It's a siphon," Elizabeth said with shock.

"A what now?"

"Something that I never thought I'd see again. It's this…thing…that was built to limit my tear abilities."

"…your what?"

Elizabeth shut her eyes. "Dammit." There was no point in keeping her powers a secret. Kat was bound to find out at some point in the near future. "You know, the ones that I used to hit you on the head with a toolbox that came out of nowhere."

"Oh…so those were 'abilities,' were they?" Kat said, sounding very skeptical. "Well, these parts are pretty new. Can't be more than a day old." She pointed at the visible glean on the device.

Elizabeth looked at her hands. "That explains why I still don't have complete control over my powers," she said, wiggling her pinky. "Someone doesn't want me to get them back."

"So we need to destroy this thing, right?" Kat asked. "Get your powers back and all that jazz, maybe hit me on the head with a few more toolboxes."

"Yes…right," Elizabeth said, putting her hands down. "Except for the toolbox part."

"That's a relief."

"But the explosion is going to be huge," she added, remembering the destruction of Monument Tower. "We need to get a safe distance away. Have any grenades?"

Kat scowled. "I'm a Splicer, not a pyromaniac. Not sure what we can do, short of using Incinerate and then teleporting away."

Elizabeth looked at her left hand. A teleportation marker protruded from her palm. "I have an idea."

* * *

Kat stood in the middle of the street. Pausing for a moment, she looked at the ground beside her and stuck the teleportation marker into it.

"All set," she said into her radio.

_"Alright, just give me a moment."_

Then she waited.

After a moment, Elizabeth appeared right beside her.

"Well?"

"Watch."

A few seconds later, the windows of the Delta Casino lit up with fire spreading through the entire building. The glass burst open, and the fires were extinguished as water flowed in.

**"Ladies and gentleman, there has been a breach in the Delta Casino,"** the Rapture announcement system sounded. **"Do not access. Authorities have been notified and will fix the breach in the coming days."**

"I wouldn't bet my life on that happening," Kat muttered.

**"In the meantime, why not gamble at Sir Prize? Try your luck with games of chance!"**

A wave of light suddenly went right through Elizabeth, and she abruptly felt as though her body had been submerged in cold water. Feeling short of breath, she tore off her helmet and leaned on Kat for support.

"You alright?" the Splicer asked, concerned. She took off her own helmet and helped Elizabeth stand up straight.

"Sorry, bit of shock," Elizabeth said. She took a deep breath. "That thing's been leeching away at me for some time now."

"So, this means your powers are back, right? Do something impressive."

Elizabeth glared at her.

"Alright, alright, take a moment to heal." Kat looked around. "These powers of yours: how should I picture them?"

"Well…not really something I can explain, so…" Elizabeth pulled out a health needle and stabbed it into her arm. The needle, already full of ADAM and stem cells, provided a little more comfort. "Let's try something small."

She looked around. She could see a few tears, just waiting to be opened. Concentrating, she opened one.

Out came a bar of chocolate.

Kat stared, impressed. "Sweet," she said, picking it up and unwrapping it. "What are you, a sorceress? Pulling things out of midair?"

Elizabeth nervously felt her nose for any blood. Nothing so far. "Well, let's say I am a sorceress and I did just pull something out of midair. The question is, where would I be pulling it from?"

Kat thought about this mid-chew. "That's actually a really good question."

"The answer is, an entirely different universe."

"…I don't follow."

"A long time ago I was given the abilities to open and create little 'tears' in the fabric of reality, which could allow me to pull things from another universe into this one, or to transport myself and others to a different time, place, or universe. Like, about an hour ago I transported to Sinclair Pharmaceuticals in 1954 and met you in there." She thought about this. Had she even been responsible for that time jump?

Kat stared at her. "…so, when I assaulted you in that hallway before the hospital, you genuinely didn't know where I got this thing?" She removed her glove and held up her arm, showing off the bird pendant. "Because for you it hadn't happened yet?"

"Right." Elizabeth stared at the bird pendant. It had come a long way since 1954.

"Let me see if I can understand…you're some kind of higher power deity who can go wherever you want whenever you want?"

Elizabeth pursed her lip. "Well…yes."

Kat stared. "Lady, you just got ten times more attractive."

"Thanks?"

They stood there awkwardly for a moment.

Kat cleared her throat. "Just so you know, I don't actually want to…"

"No, I get it."

"…I'm not looking for a relationship at the m—"

"Kat. I get it."

"Alright. Do you want this back by the way?" She fiddled with the bird pendant.

Elizabeth was about to respond in the positive, but was interrupted by a voice whispering in the back of her mind. _"Let her keep the pendant, Elizabeth. It will play a role in events to come."_

_That's what I call foreshadowing,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. "No, hang on to it," she said. "It might come in handy later."

"Suit yourself. Do something bigger. Like, teleport us somewhere without that plasmid you have."

"Well, I can try." She clasped her hands together and tried to see what she could do. "Maybe I can get us to Triton's Grotto."

* * *

A moment later, they found themselves in a dark, funny-smelling hallway, with white-washed walls and a ceramic tile floor.

"Uh…what the hell just happened?" Kat asked.

Elizabeth looked around. "I…don't think we're in Rapture anymore." That was when she noticed a scraggly-haired man in a white labcoat that read "Aperture Science" was standing nearby, staring straight at them.

"Uh…Alyx?" he called to someone else coming down the hallway.

"We were never here," Elizabeth said quickly, sending herself and Kat back to Rapture.

A young woman ran up to the man in the labcoat. "What is it, Doug?"

Rattmann rubbed his eyes. "Erm…probably just hallucinating."

* * *

Kat scratched her head. "That was…different," she commented. She looked at Elizabeth. "Why do you keep rubbing your nose?"

"It's…whenever I've tried to do this sort of thing recently, my nose started bleeding. You remember, back in our first fight, after that toolbox clonked you on the head, I paused because of blood dripping out."

"Oh yeah. I thought I'd punched you in the face and forgot all about it. Well, at least it's not bleeding now."

"Yes, but I didn't have control over where I went," Elizabeth commented, staring at her hands. "There's another siphon somewhere in this universe: weaker, but it's definitely in operation. It's limiting what I can do."

"Think Lamb has something to do with it?"

"I would be surprised if she didn't, but as far as I know she doesn't have the technology. Still, all things considered, that was a triumph: I managed to get us to a different universe, even if it wasn't the one we wa—" She was interrupted by a large amount of blood pouring out of her nose. "Damn." And then she collapsed.

* * *

_She was back in the room with the mirror, and once again, her reflection looked back at her silently. The radio was still playing "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square," only it sounded much sharper._

_Worried, Elizabeth raised her right hand. The reflection raised its left, as it should have._  
_Elizabeth turned her head to the left. The reflection turned its head to its right, as it should have._

_The reflection blinked. As it should not have._

_Elizabeth, startled, stepped backwards. The reflection merely stood there, grinning._

_Elizabeth turned around to face Robert Lutece._

_"I am not what I seem," he said. A small pool of blood began to form around his left temple as the image dissipated._

* * *

The next thing Elizabeth knew, Kat was extracting the ADAM needle from her hand.

"What happened?" she groaned.

"Conked out like someone hit you on the head," Kat replied. She showed off her hand, which had a visible hole in it. "Gave you some of the ADAM still in my system. Guess I spoke a little too soon about the nose-bleeding." She touched Elizabeth's cheek. "How do you feel?"

Until a short while before, Elizabeth had just viewed Kat as a psychopathic woman who only cared for ADAM. But now—that touch was almost motherly.

"Better, actually," Elizabeth said, pushing herself up.

"Good girl," Kat said, patting Elizabeth on the shoulder. "You had me worried there."

Elizabeth felt her nose. "That's one thing we're not going to try again."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Some of you may know I'm also writing a _Portal/Half-Life_ story called _Epic Rattmann_. I got side-tracked with this story, I'll get back to it once I'm done here. But I figured I'd give an update on what's going on in that completely different universe.  
**


	13. The Luck of the Irish

**Where is Robert Lutece?**

* * *

"We have to go through here," Kat explained as she pushed open a door into a dark room. Like, really dark. "Well, this is cheery. Give me a second." She felt around and found a light switch.

A couple of lights came on, revealing what appeared to be a small bar.

"What is this place?" Elizabeth asked.

"It's called 'Ye White Hart.' Old Irish Pub. Those guys got drunker than a bride on her wedding night."

"…exactly what kind of wedding night did you have?"

"The kind where the young couple wakes up half-naked in Artists' Alley. There's a door in the back that'll cut our walking time by about five minutes." Kat leaped over the bar counter and disappeared underneath. "Fancy a drink? I'm parched."

Elizabeth was in the process of hacking a Circus of Values machine. She looked up from her work. "Alcohol makes you dehydrated."

"Then I'll be even more parched," Kat shrugged. A bottle of scotch and a shot glass appeared from behind the counter. "How about some ADAM?"

"Err…sure, why not?"

Kat pulled up a dead corpse from behind the counter. "Well, here you go, then."

Elizabeth leered back.

Kat burst out laughing. "The look on your face!" she cackled. "Seriously though, this guy reeks of ADAM. Someone probably killed him and got interrupted."

Elizabeth swallowed her initial shock away, then inserted her ADAM needle into the corpse. "Want some?" she asked the Splicer.

"No chance in hell," Kat said flatly.

Elizabeth laughed. Suddenly, she sported a puzzled look.

"What's wrong?" Kat asked as she poured some scotch into a shot glass.

"This ADAM's warm," Elizabeth said, moving her arm around. "This guy died recently. And I don't mean a few hours ago…he's only been dead for thirty seconds."

"Eugh!" Kat immediately dropped the body on the floor. "Meaning?"

"His killer is still in the room."

As if on cue, all the lights went out.

* * *

"Dammit," Kat grunted. "I knew I shouldn't have taken that helmet off. Now I can't see my scotch."

"You wouldn't have been able to drink it in the first place with your helmet on."

"True."

"Besides, your Scotch isn't exactly a priority here."

"Scotch is always a priority, ma'am."

Elizabeth heard a scuffling noise traveling around the room.

"Umm…is that you?" she asked Kat.

"I wish," Kat replied nervously. "Holy shit, we need some light."

"There's a flashlight on your left gauntlet," Elizabeth explained, feeling around for her own helmet but not finding it. "Try switching that on."

_Click._

"There you are," Kat said. She aimed the beam around and looked up. _"JESUS CHRIST!"_

Suspended from the ceiling were corpses. _A lot_ of corpses. They were hanging by the head from meat hooks, expressions of pure terror frozen on their faces.

"When did those get there?" Elizabeth asked as she found her helmet.

"Probably a long time ago: definitely before we got here." Kat quickly downed her shot of scotch. "It was pretty dark when we came in." She grimaced.

"How was it?"

"Tastes like algae," Kat gagged as she sniffed the bottle. Thinking about it, she poured another shot.

"I figured. All in favor of taking the long way, say 'aye.'"

"Aye."

Elizabeth walked over to the front door. She began pulling at it.

"What the hell, open it already!" Kat insisted.

Elizabeth kicked the door, leaving a surprisingly large dent. "Locked," she groaned. "And something tells me the back door is gonna be, too."

"So that means…"

"We need to find whatever put those things up there and get the key from him."

Kat rolled her eyes, grabbed a bottle of beer from the bar, and began to drink the whole thing.

Elizabeth stared at the sight with a baffled expression.

Kat finished and wiped off her mouth. "What?" she asked. "So I drink. Big deal, if we're going to get out of here, we're probably gonna face whatever put _them_ up there. Which means I need to numb my fears." And then she belched. "'scuse me."

"I just kind of figured someone who's getting off an addiction wouldn't get herself into another one."

"Hey, when you've seen the shit I've seen, you'd want to drink, too," Kat said, grabbing another bottle. "Care for some?"

"I…can't hold my liquor," Elizabeth said, remembering getting a little tipsy off some rosé at one of Cohen's parties.

"Seriously?" Kat asked, taking a swig. "How old are you, anyway?"

Elizabeth thought for a moment. "I think…19?"

Kat spit her beer out. "Seriously?" she gagged. "You look like you're in your late 20s or something! I mean, compare your face to mine!"

Elizabeth raised a finger to point out an important distinction between her face and Kat's.

"You know what? Don't," Kat said, remembering that distinction. "Seriously though, why do you look so…mature?"

Elizabeth sighed as she put her helmet back on. "Believe me, I've seen some stuff to," The night vision turned on, and Elizabeth could see Kat was still drinking from the bottle. "Don't drink too much of that stuff, alright? I don't want you trying to make out with a mannequin."

"Hey," Kat said, finding her helmet. "If I'm gonna drunkenly make out with anyone, it'd better be you." Her speech had already become a bit slurred.

"Yay me," Elizabeth replied dryly. "Put down that bottle and put your helmet on. Whatever this thing is, it probably prefers to do its work in the dark."

Kat tightened her helmet. "You don't strike me as the kind of person who gets scared by this stuff. I always figured before now that if something jumped out at you, you'd have a heart attack and keel over, dead as a doornail. _Hic_. Pardon me."

Elizabeth cautiously flung a closet door open. Nothing inside but a couple of brooms. "You know, I used to be able to know what was about to happen to me: if there was someone who wanted to do some bad things to me, I would be able to prepare myself. Then that ability sort of got torn out from under me, and I kind of had to learn what would…"

Her monologue was interrupted by a clicking noise coming from the direction of the bathrooms.

"Which one was it? Boys or girls?" Kat asked.

"Best to try one at a time," Elizabeth replied. "Come on."

* * *

They entered the women's restroom. As expected, it was completely dark. They couldn't hear anything, but it was always possible the thing had learned to stay quiet.

"Let's try the stalls," Elizabeth said. "Got a gun?"

"How come you get the hand cannon and I get the puny little pistol?" Kat complained.

"Hey, pistols hurt!" Elizabeth replied. She kicked open a stall. Nothing inside. Only four more to go. "Besides, I saw what you did to that pool Splicer outside. You seem adept at hand-to-hand combat."

"One can manage," Kat shrugged. "That's why I like using a meat hook: things get up-close and personal." She kicked down the next stall door. "Nothing in here. Sometimes Angus and I would ambush other Splicers in tiny rooms. They'd turn a corner, and I'd slam a plank straight into their face."

"Yow." Elizabeth kicked down another door. "Nothing."

"It was good fun," Kat nodded, kicking down the next door, which bounced back slightly. "One time I actually beheaded some guy! Oh, we celebrated good afterwards. Had bruises everywhere the next morning."

"You—I didn't need to know that!" Elizabeth kicked down the next door. "Empty again," she sighed as she put away her gun.

"Dammit. Let's check the men's room."

They were about to start making their way to the door when…

"What?" Kat asked when Elizabeth suddenly stopped her.

"Shh!"

They stood there, quiet.

"What is it?"

"Something in here just breathed very loudly, and it didn't sound like us."

Kat looked back in the direction of the stalls. "I don't see anything."

Elizabeth walked back until she was directly in front of the third stall. "Didn't the door to the fourth one bounce back when you opened it?"

"Yeah, so?"

"So why didn't any of the others do that?"

Kat's eyes widened with worry.

Elizabeth silently cursed to herself, realizing what they were dealing with. "I hate this," she muttered, making sure she was stocked on EVE. Taking a deep breath, she jumped in front of the fourth stall and fired a shot.

Something screamed, and the next moment Elizabeth found herself trampled on the ground by the brief image of a Houdini Splicer.

"HEY!" Kat shouted, firing at it as it disappeared. Not hearing a death thud, she fired some more shots.

Everything went silent.

"Make no sudden movements," Elizabeth whispered as she got up.

The two women looked around. Suddenly, Kat felt something bang against her helmet and she stumbled back. The Houdini Splicer reappeared right in front of her, holding up a wrench.

_"__AREN'T YOU A PRETTY PICTURE?!"_ it cackled, leaping right on top of Kat.

"Get the fuck off!" Kat shouted, struggling.

_"__NOT UNTIL I GET MY SERVING OF GARMONBOZIA!" _But before the Houdini Splicer could get whatever garmonbozia was, he was grabbed from behind by Elizabeth, who shoved him around until he faced her directly, her hands tightly grasped around his head.

**"****LEAVE US ALONE!"** Elizabeth shouted in her protector voice. She squeezed her hands against the Splicer's head. It yelped and tried to get out of her grip, but she held fast.

With a loud crack, the Splicer's head became a mere pile of sludge between Elizabeth's palms. She let go, and the rest of it hit the ground.

"Got your keys," she said, finding them in its pocket. She looked at Kat. "Come on, let's go."

Kat only stood there, staring. "Do you realize what you just did?" she asked breathlessly.

Elizabeth looked down at the corpse. "What? I killed a guy. Big deal, I've killed a lot of people."

"Really? You've killed people with your bare hands?"

"Yeah, when a group of Splicers back at the hospital attacked Amber. I killed them all like they were little puny ants. Although…to be fair, I used guns and a meat hook. Oh, also, I killed the Gambler by sticking my fist in his stomach and pulling upwards."

Kat squinted her eyes at Elizabeth. "Something's off about you. I've never thought of you as the one who kills someone and just goes on with your life."

Elizabeth's thoughts immediately turned to Daisy Fitzroy. She quickly shook off the image.

"I started early," she said hesitantly.

"Does it not bother you that you crushed someone's head with your own strength?"

Elizabeth looked at her hands. They were still dripping from squeezing the Splicer's head. Why wasn't she bothered by this?

"Right…" Elizabeth said slowly. "Yeah. I'm just…gonna wash my hands." She walked quickly over to a sink and began rinsing the blood off.

"I got a question."

"Go ahead."

"Do we even have a plan?"

Elizabeth shook the water off her gauntlets. "What do you mean? We go in, rescue Amber, go out, and meet up with Dr. Tenenbaum at the Welcome Center."

"Maybe, but this is Sofia Lamb we're talking about. I've been to some of her lectures, and this is not a reasonable woman we're facing: she isn't going to just open a door, offer us tea, and give us Amber as a gift. We have to kill her."

"No," Elizabeth said firmly. "We can't do that."

Kat frowned. "Of course we can. You just crushed that guy's head: you could rip her head off and cook it on a rotisserie rack, maybe with a miso glaze."

"It's not my place to kill her," Elizabeth replied while trying to get that last image out of her head. "She will get her comeuppance one day, but that day is not today. We will rescue Amber and spare Lamb. Is that clear?"

Kat looked over at the dead Splicer. "As you command, boss."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

This is probably a given, but I encourage feedback in the Reviews section!


	14. Jazz Standard

**Love is not a right. It is a privilege.**

* * *

"Have you ever considered the possibility that none of this is real and it's all just happening in the mind of some kid in New Jersey?"

Elizabeth stared at Kat. "Did the ADAM withdrawal make you philosophical or something?"

"A bit, yes. Anyway, we need to go through the Riabko Theatre: there's an airlock in the dressing rooms."

"Hang on, I worked there once: concert by Sander Cohen. There's no airlock leading to another area of the city."

"But there is one leading to the water."

Elizabeth stared at Kat.

"Hey, we both got diving suits, we might as well use them," Kat shrugged. "Just a couple of yards away is the submarine pen at Triton's Grotto. We can enter through there."

"Is it safe?"

"Well, unless you ignore the piranhas."

"What?!"

"Shh!" Kat shoved Elizabeth behind a pillar. "Don't shout! Look!"

Just ahead of them was a group of five Splicers, stalking around and shouting occasionally.

"Just think," Elizabeth whispered. "Without a clear head, you could be one of them."

Kat snorted as she lowered her hands. "I _was_ one of them until a few hours ago. Don't suppose we can just walk around them."

"I'm not a big fan of a direct confrontation," Elizabeth muttered. "Not after what happened back in the bathroom. Got any ideas?"

Kat thought for a moment. "Hey, pass me one of those chocolate bars."

Elizabeth pulled one out of her satchel. "Why?"

Kat flung it into the open, directly beyond a puddle of water.

"What's that?" a Splicer shouted.

"When they walk over there, you hit that puddle with Electro Bolt," Kat whispered.

"You know, I have a spare needle right here if you want to do it yourself," Elizabeth replied, pulling one out of her satchel.

Kat looked at the needle nervously. "Thanks, but…I'd rather avoid the stuff."

Elizabeth shrugged. "Fine with me."

The group of Splicers walked up, four of them standing directly in the puddle, the other beyond it, picking up the chocolate bar.

"Sweet, chocolate!" he exclaimed. "How'd this get here?"

A moment later, his companions all shouted out in pain and fury as they were electrocuted where they stood. Next thing he knew, someone in a diving suit was holding a gun to his head.

"Don't say anything, just run," Kat whispered.

The Splicer nodded and ran off. "Thanks for the chocolate, by the way!" he called back in fear.

Kat walked over to one of the dead bodies. "Hey, a hand cannon!" she exclaimed, picking it up. "I've always wanted one of these." She felt it in her hand. "This thing is probably one of the best inventions in the world. Looks harmless enough, then you fire it…"

A shot ricocheted off of Elizabeth's helmet.

The two women stood there silently.

"You're lucky I didn't take this thing off," Elizabeth said after a while.

* * *

"The Riabko Theatre," Elizabeth muttered as they walked into the lobby. "Sander Cohen once had a concert here. Stuck me up on that big stage and made me perform 'Nature Boy' for the whole crowd."

Kat muttered, _"There was a boy/A very strange enchanted boy…"_

"Right, that one."

"Nat King Cole?"

"The one and only. Cohen listened to his recording one time, threw the record on the ground, dragged me into a recording studio, and had me sing it for him."

"I always liked Cohen's films. So bizarre yet so realistic: did you see that one where he gouged someone's eyes out and made them eat them? I never could figure out how he did that."

"He gouged the actor's eyes out and made him eat them," Elizabeth replied flatly.

"Seriously?"

"You think I'm joking? I was operating the camera!"

Kat cringed. "I don't think I like Cohen's films anymore."

"Ever seen a show here?" Elizabeth asked.

"Once or twice," Kat shrugged. "My ex worked here after we broke up. Gave me tickets to a couple of shows. Not the Cohen one you mentioned, strangely."

"It was a very elite concert."

"The best perform for the best…and the weirdos perform for the creeps."

* * *

They entered the main auditorium.

"No Splicers?" Kat observed. "That's odd."

"I'm pretty sure the only time there are no Splicers are in an area is when…" Elizabeth trailed off. "No, can't be."

"What?"

"You don't think a Big Daddy could've gotten in here, do you?"

"I doubt it, they probably wouldn't fit through the doors."

"That's what I thought. Yet this place is completely empty."

Kat thought for a moment. Then she pulled out her gun and fired a shot into the air. The sound rang through the auditorium.

Nothing happened.

"Good sign," she shrugged, putting it away. "Let's go."

"Right." Elizabeth stepped forward. "Wait…earlier you mentioned something about piranhas?"

Kat laughed. "Relax, Elizabeth, I was only joking."

"Oh, good. So, there's nothing to worry about?"

"Nothing except for the jellyfish."

"…wait, what?"

"Shh!" Kat held Elizabeth back. "Do you hear that?"

In the distance was an odd beeping noise. A beeping noise that was suspiciously familiar.

Seconds later, a stream of security bots flew out from the stage and straight at the two women.

"Duck!" Elizabeth shouted.

The bots zoomed over them, firing shots. Thankfully, the diving suits provided sufficient safety from the bullets. Elizabeth pulled out her gun and fired a few rounds. A couple of bots went down, but the rest regrouped to prepare for another zoom attack.

Kat picked up a piece of metal lying on the ground. "Perfect," she whispered.

The security bots flew straight at them again. This time, Kat swung at them, knocking them into each other in a game of airborne bowling.

Kat dropped the piece of metal. "They should make that a sport," she commented.

The announcer system in the theater crackled to life. _"I don't know any Splicers that have able to get past my defenses,"_ a woman's voice grumbled. _"Mostly because I haven't bothered to get to know them. What are you? Diving suits conceal a hell of a lot."_

Elizabeth removed her helmet. "I'm Elizabeth," she explained. "We're sorry if we, uh…wrecked your stuff, but we need to get to the airlock in the dressing room area."

_"__Listen here, Tin Lizzy: I don't just let anyone get through this theater alive, even if they're real pretty. They need to prove themselves capable of things. See that microphone there on the stage?"_

A spotlight shined on a large microphone center stage.

_"__The both of you: sing for me."_

"Excuse me?"

_"__Sing a song. If you're good, I'll let you through. If you're bad, I'll fill you with lead."_

Elizabeth swallowed. "Right away, Ms…"

_"__Gracenin. Chelsea Gracenin."_

Kat looked around, startled. "Chel?!"

The voice hesitated. _"Kat?!"_

"You know this woman?" Elizabeth asked, puzzled.

"Knew her? We were girlfriends!"

Elizabeth stared at Kat.

"Oh, don't look at me like that, Rapture was about free will, and that meant a girl could break the social boundaries! Besides, it was before I married Angus."

"I don't want a jealous ex deciding to just kill us," Elizabeth warned.

_"__Oh, don't worry about that, we split amicably."_

Kat looked rather miffed at that last part, but she shook it off. "Chelsea used to host the _Live from the Riabko Theater_ radio hour," she explained. "Always had great music on. We split up before she hit it big. Didn't I tell you I had an actress ex-girlfriend who worked here?'"

Elizabeth remembered a conversation from 1954 about an actress in the Jazz District. "Oh yeah, you did."

_"__Tell you what: I'll let you two through with only _her_ singing: I've heard you sing, gal, I don't need to hear it again."_

Elizabeth walked up to the stage. "I'm not sure how good I'm going to sound without a backing track," she said into the microphone.

_"__Don't worry: I've got a whole stack of records back here of just the instrumentals. What do you want to sing?"_

Elizabeth scratched her head. "Umm…'La Vie En Rose'?"

_"__French or English?"_

"French."

There was some rummaging in the background. Finally, the sound of a grainy record was projected into the auditorium.

Elizabeth cleared her throat. _"Des yeux qui font aisser les miens/Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche/Voila le portrait sans retouches/De l'homme auquel j'appartiens…"_

* * *

Kat squinted her eyes. Elizabeth kept on touching one spot on her forehead, like she felt some sort of unseen pain, all this stemming from singing the song.

Before the Splicer could consider this further, the spotlight adjusted itself to match the fact that Elizabeth's face was completely in the shadows. It was a sort of jerky movement—definitely hand-operated.

Then the ellipsoidal lights changed colors: a distinct blue shade to it. The blue started to dim. Elizabeth glanced up and briefly nodded towards someone at the back of the theater.

Kat looked up. If someone was operating the lights so extensively, that meant they had a light board at their disposal. Which meant Chelsea was up in the booth.

"I'll be back!" she called to Elizabeth, who could barely acknowledge her without losing her place in the song.

* * *

Kat knocked on the door of the booth.

Nothing happened.

She knocked again, but she had barely hit her hand against the door a second time when it swung open and there stood a woman in a red, tattered dress holding a shotgun. She stared at Kat.

"Oh, it's you," she said, lowering the shotgun. "Dear god, what the hell happened?"

"I got hurt," Kat shrugged. "Glad to see your face turned out alright, Chel."

Chelsea reached out and felt Kat's face. "Real piece of work," she muttered. She lowered her hand. "Come on in, she's halfway through the song."

Kat stepped into the booth. The ceiling was lined with Christmas tree lights. A nearby shelf was stocked with various records, next to them a record player, connected to the speaker system of the theater. Chelsea was seated in a big red chair, watching Elizabeth's performance. Lying on the table in front of her was a sound and lightboard, plus a couple of security bots, apparently in the process of being repaired.

"Got a new girlfriend, huh?" Chelsea commented. "Love her singing. What happened to Angus?"

"Yeah, she's…not my girlfriend," Kat said. "I'm not her type." Actually, the more she had gotten to know Elizabeth, the more she valued her as a friend than a potential lover.

"Eh, too bad," Chelsea sighed. "And what about Angus?"

"She shot her," Kat replied bluntly, pointing at Elizabeth.

Chelsea stared at the stage. "Well," she said, eyebrow raised. "All things considered, that might be a romantic gesture. How you holdin' up? Heard about your daughter and all."

Kat shrugged. "Better than I thought, honestly," she said. "This lady found her."

Chelsea looked up. "Seriously?"

"Yeah. Little Sister, as I suspected. Then she lost her again. She's in Triton's Grotto with Sofia Lamb. That's why we need to get to that airlock: to rescue her."

"With how she's doing, you might get your wish," Chelsea nodded, pointing to Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was still at it. _"Il me dit des mots d'amour/Des mots de tout les jours…"_

"Astounding," Chelsea breathed. "Never knew anyone who could sing in French."

"You seem to have kept your sanity since the start of the rebellion."

"I never much liked the ADAM. Nervous about the needles. Even when they came out with the drinkables, I felt humans should stay human. Seems you didn't share the sentiment."

Kat opened her mouth to respond, but was shushed by Chelsea. "I won't judge," she said.

Elizabeth was finishing her song. _"Et des que je l'apercois/Alors je sens en moi/Mon Coeur qui bat."_

Chelsea leaned toward the microphone. "That was…breathtaking," she commented. "Who taught you to sing like that?"

"Taught myself, honestly," Elizabeth replied.

Chelsea leaned back into her chair. "Come on up to the booth. I want to speak to the both of you."

* * *

Elizabeth walked in. Kat was standing before Chelsea, still seated in her chair.

"Have a seat, you two," Chelsea said, motioning to two chairs.

Elizabeth and Kat looked at each other. Nervously, they sat down.

"So, Kat tells me you killed Angus," Chelsea said, crossing her legs.

"Look, I—"

"No." Chelsea held her hand up. "I know you did what you deemed necessary. Kat also tells me you lost her daughter."

"I'm not here to be reminded of it. I'm here to set things right."

Chelsea laughed. "You're a judge of setting things right?"

"That's what I certainly strive for, madam."

Chelsea leaned back. "Amber 'Amy' MacLachlan: kidnapped by Sofia Lamb. What are the odds?"

"To be fair, Andrew Ryan kidnapped her first," Elizabeth piped.

"Indeed." Chelsea uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. "What's your business with Lamb?"

Elizabeth scowled. "I want no business with her."

"Yet she kidnapped a Little Sister you were bonded to—that puts you in business with her."

"My only interest is in rescuing that Little Sister and getting her and her mother out of Rapture. Sofia Lamb is inconsequential to me."

"Inconsequential…" Chelsea leaned forward. "Is that what people are to you?"

"What are you implying?"

"Is this whole world just a little thing you're toying with? The little people who would follow your every order? The all-mighty Elizabeth Comstock? The—"

"Hang on!" Kat interrupted. "I never told you her last name!

Chelsea blinked. "Sure you did, when you—"

"She only introduced herself as Elizabeth, we never even discussed much else about her! Hell, that's most of what I know about her and I didn't tell you it! And I told you she lost Amber, I never said they had a protector bond!"

Chelsea leaned back. "Damn, Kat," she sighed as she pulled out a remote. "I wish it hadn't come to this. You know, I really liked you."

There was a beeping noise and five security bots flew in through the window of the booth, taking aim at Elizabeth and Kat, who jumped up, startled.

"What the hell?!" Kat shouted, looking around.

"I might have guessed," Elizabeth grunted. "Looks like your ex is a Rapture Family supporter."

"I'd call the ADAM Rapture's downfall," Chelsea said, standing up. "I saw what it did to my musicians backstage here. I knew it was all going to go to hell one day. And when it did, I locked myself up here. For months I would have my security bots kill anyone who came near. But Sofia Lamb: she was the first person to get through them in a while. She said if I pledged my allegiance to the Rapture Family, she would find some good for me to do. Taught me everything about her ideals—offer I couldn't refuse. Didn't hear from her again until about an hour ago, when she said you would be coming this way. Of course…" she looked over at Kat. "She didn't tell me you would be here. Sorry it had to end like this."

"You…" Kat fumed. "I should've killed you the moment you put down that shotgun."

"True pity," Chelsea sighed. "Seriously, though: goodbye."

The security bots beeped, their guns whirring to life. But before they could start firing, they began…_fizzing_?

"What in the world…?" Chelsea exclaimed, staring as the security bots changed to a gray color before hitting the ground, broken.

Elizabeth stood there, a little blood coming out of her nose. "I don't suppose Lamb told you I could do that," she breathed.

Chelsea stepped back. "I…"

Kat pulled out her hand cannon and aimed it straight at Chelsea. "Elizabeth, look for the key to the dressing room."

Elizabeth walked over to a nearby drawer and began rummaging through. Finally, she found a skeleton key, each piece labeled.

"Got it," she said, finding the right key. She glanced back into the drawer. "Also some crossbow ammunition." She pulled out a tranquilizer bolt. "Where were you when I needed you?"

"Focus!" Kat hissed. She stared at Chelsea, who only stared back, emotionless.

"Do it," she taunted. "It'll make you feel better."

Kat squinted her eyes and pulled down the hammer. And then she saw Chelsea flinch.

"I said do it," Chelsea said, a little unsure of herself.

That was a huge tip-off for Kat. Rolling her eyes, she adjusted her aim and fired at the lightboard, sending sparks flying.

Chelsea yelped and shut her eyes, but opened them when she realized she wasn't dead.

"You're pathetic," Kat scowled, lowering her gun.

"What?"

"Look at you, holed up in your lousy little theater," she spat. "You're not following Sofia Lamb because you believe in her: I know enough about the Rapture Family, people would die for its cause. But not you: you were scared of me killing you."

"So what? It's because of our past relationship."

"Which shows you don't care enough about Sofia Lamb or her ideals to not be afraid of death."

Chelsea didn't say anything.

"Here's what I think happened. With the fall of Rapture, the fame you so craved died away. You locked yourself in here to survive, but without the eternal love from the people, you felt lost. Then Sofia Lamb came along and offered you a chance to do something that mattered."

"Killing us is hardly a noble cause," Elizabeth piped.

Kat nodded. "Honestly, I can't blame you for being afraid. But to think you were gonna kill me and my friend here just because she doesn't agree with Sofia Lamb? You don't deserve my sympathy."

Elizabeth looked at Chelsea, and then looked at Kat.

Kat handed Chelsea her hand cannon. "We are going to rescue my daughter. You? You're going to the Rapture Welcome Center, where you will wait for us."

"I'm not leaving this place," Chelsea said through gritted teeth. "Not when there are Splicers running around."

"Well, then you can decompose in that red chair," Kat shrugged. "But you're not going to hinder us in any way again. Understand?"

Chelsea looked between Kat and Elizabeth. "_I'm_ pathetic? You called _me_ pathetic?" She sounded strangely hurt.

"You know exactly what I said," Kat replied. "Kind of different when you're on the receiving end, huh?"

**"HANG ON A MINUTE,"** Elizabeth said loudly, startling the other two women in the room. "I understand that there is unfinished business between you two, and I'm quite sure a long chat and maybe a bottle of scotch would clear up all the tension left behind from your last relationship, but right now there are more important things we need to focus on than the angst of two lovers. Like rescuing your daughter?"

Kat's expression darkened. "Door's that way," she said to Chelsea. "Get a move on."

Chelsea sighed. "I'll see you two again soon," she muttered. She walked over to the door, opened it, and left.

Elizabeth stared in the direction of where the woman had gone. "Nice work," she commented, impressed. "But uh…now you only have a pistol."

"Fate should not be in the hands of a Splicer," Kat said. "Also, I think I'll stick to my meat hook."

"Do you really think she's going to go to the Welcome Center and wait for us?"

"Are you kidding? First chance she gets she's gonna find a broom closet and lock herself in there for the rest of her poor, sad life."

"I take it the break up wasn't so amicable."

Kat shrugged. "Was until she betrayed us."

* * *

They entered the airlock. Kat was now carrying a garbage bag full of their guns and possessions that would be difficult to carry around in water.

"Uh, Kat?" Elizabeth asked.

"Hmm?"

"Did you say something about jellyfish?"

Kat laughed. "Relax, Tin Lizzy: I was only joking."

"Oh, good."

"Nothing to worry about except for sharks."

"WHAT?!"

The conversation was interrupted by a blast of water pouring in through the airlock door.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Starting this week I will be posting new chapters every Monday. I figure I'm far enough ahead from now that I can do a new chapter every week and still be able to work on it on schedule.**


	15. Reunion

_"__See? Sharks."_

_"You're really funny, you know that? Hilarious.__ I'm dying of laughter right now."  
_

_"Sarcasm never got anyone anywhere."_

The area they were swimming through was below an underwater cliff overhang, one that submarines would go through to get to the submarine pen at Triton's Grotto.

As it turned out, the "piranhas," "jellyfish," and "sharks" were actually a bunch of billboards of cartoon sea animals advertising products.

_"__I ought to kill you for that."_

_"__Well don't kill me out here. You might start a feeding frenzy."_

Elizabeth looked down. In the distance were some lights, not from the city, but from something completely separate.

_"__What's down there?"_ she asked, looking at Kat.

_"__Persephone Correctional Facility,"_ Kat replied. _"Prison for all the people who disobeyed Andrew Ryan. And, to be quite frank, there were a lot. It got so crowded Ryan had to convert the old Fontaine's complex into a secondary prison."_

Elizabeth nervously stared at the complex. She felt uneasy about something, and it wasn't the cartoon shark that was smiling at her from the billboard.

Shaking it off, she decided to turn to more trivial matters. _"So, Kat…tell me about your life before Rapture."_

Kat thought for a minute. _"I'm still working on remembering,"_ she admitted. _"Still working off the ADAM, but I was definitely born in 1931, sometime in the spring…April, maybe?…I think I lived in Pittsburgh, my dad worked at the Heinz factory…I went to the Ellis School, but not for very long: we went to Rapture when I was in the middle of preparatory."_

_"__When was the last time you saw your parents?"_

_"__Christmas before the rebellion."_

_"__Rapture celebrates Christmas?"_

_"__I guess Ryan figured Christmas had become too commercial to really be considered a religious holiday. We went over to their apartment in Artemis Suites. We opened presents, we sang songs, and we baked cookies."_ She paused. _"It's important to always have a good memory for the last time you see a person alive."_

_"__So they're…"_

Kat sighed. _"When Angus and I went over there a few weeks after the start of the war, door was broken down and they were lying in a pool of their own blood."_

_"…__do you have any other relatives that you think are alive?"_

_"__I had a brother who used to live down here. He jumped ship a long while back, went back to the surface. Don't know what happened to him. He was a great piano player, though. Probably off to New York: they have a great music scene."_

_"__So he's probably doing fine."_

_"__Oh, you bet. What's your story, time traveller?"_

_"__Well, I don't know my exact birthday, but I was born sometime in 1893."_

Kat stopped moving and stared at Elizabeth.

_"__Something wrong?"_

_"__Sorry, I'm just considering the fact you're 40 years older than me."_

_"__Well, not really. Like you said, I'm a time traveler."_

_"__Are we getting into technical definitions here?"_

_"__People assume that time is a strict progression of cause to effect, but _actually_ from a non-linear, non-subjective viewpoint, it's more like a big ball of wibbly wobbly…timey wimey…stuff."_

_"__How specific. Seriously, tell me about yourself."  
_

_"__That would take me hours to explain. Hours we don't have."_

_"__Fair enough, then."_

There was a bit of silence as they continued to swim.

_"__What happened between you and Chelsea?"_ Elizabeth asked.

Kat made a funny noise with her teeth. _"You know how people seem all nice and everything until fame gets to their head, and they become pretentious little minxes?"_

_"__Sure."_

_"__Chelsea was a showgirl at the Footlight Theatre, and I used to work at the Sinclair Pharmaceuticals down there. She would come by after every show to get a milkshake or something from me. We started talking, somewhere along the line we figured out we liked each other, we became a couple."_

_"__Go on."_

_"__One night the lead singer got bronchitis, so Chelsea stepped in last minute. That got her noticed, and she got an offer to have a weekly solo performance at the Riabko. She still kept an apartment near the Footlight, so we hung out a lot after I was done with work. Actually, it got to the point where I moved in with her."_

_"__Reasonable enough."_

_"__Yes, well, the weekly performance led to her 'Live at the Riabko' gig. She would have to work there every night, so she needed to move. She wanted the fame, and…well, I wanted a family."_

_"__Conflict of interests. Typical events that lead to break-ups."_

_"__When I told her that I didn't think we could be together, she looked me straight in the eye and called me pathetic."_

_"__Ouch."_

_"__You're telling me. She immediately took it back, but the damage was pretty much done."_ Kat paused. _"Do you think I should give her a second chance when we get to the surface?"_

Elizabeth thought about this. _"Well, fame isn't something she possesses at the moment,"_ she suggested. _"It wouldn't be a distraction if you wanted to start again. But don't go running for her just because you don't have Angus anymore."_

_"...I guess I'm not sure Chelsea would be a good parental figure for Amber,"_ Kat shrugged._  
_

_"Don't count your chickens before they've hatched. Besides, we don't even know if she's actually going to the Welcome Center to wait for us."_

* * *

"Mercy, lady! Mercy!"

"I just had a run-in with my ex-girlfriend, who despite my misgivings over her actions, has given me the ticket to leave this damned place. I'm in no mood to show mercy, bastard."

**BANG.**

* * *

They emerged at the docks of the submarine pen. Music played on the rusty old speakers: _"I love you, yes I do, I love you/If you break my heart, I'll die..."_

_"__See anything?"_ Elizabeth asked.

_"__Nothing so far,"_ Kat replied. _"Wait a minute…Splicer wandering around up on that landing. Hasn't spotted us yet."_

Elizabeth raised her crossbow. _"And he won't spot us ever."_

A shot of a tranquilizer bolt, and the Splicer was on the ground.

The two women climbed out of the water and walked over.

"Just a dock worker," Kat observed as she handed Elizabeth her weapons and her satchel. "Probably going through the same old routine until Judgement Day came."

Elizabeth rummaged through the Splicer's pocket. She pulled out a green vial and stared at it.

"Pure ADAM," she said slowly. She heard a distant drum—her heartbeat.

Kat didn't like the look in Elizabeth's eyes. "Umm…you okay there?"

"What?" Elizabeth blinked several times. "Oh…sorry." She stuck the vial in her satchel, figuring she'd want it for later, then stuck her ADAM needle into the Splicer, extracting the liquid and shuddering as she felt it enter her system.

"Listen," she said, finding her tommy gun. "I appreciate your penchant for hand-to-hand combat, but I'd feel a lot safer if you carried this around with you."

"Everyone loves a hastler," Kat muttered as she took the gun. She nervously glanced back at the submarine docks. "I'll, uh…try not to shoot you."

Elizabeth looked. "What is it?"

"Look at that bathysphere," Kat said, motioning towards the gold floating canister that sat at the docks. "Its design doesn't match the other submarines docked here in the slightest."

They walked back down the steps to inspect the bathysphere.

"This thing hails from Persephone," Kat observed. "Looks like someone got a promotion in the Rapture social system."

"Sofia Lamb lives in Persephone. This must be how she got up here."

"Well then, where the hell is she now?"

The docks were pretty much deserted. Not a Splicer in sight.

"Forget it, let's take a look around."

* * *

Kat looked into the security office. "I don't get it. If Sofia Lamb is holding my daughter here, you'd think she'd have more defenses. Where the hell is everyone?"

"In any case like this, it's important to expect an ambush of some sort," Elizabeth said dryly. "Especially in Rapture. In short, be very paranoid."

"You know it."

"Well, getting stoked up on ADAM doesn't help."

The pause in conversation gave them a moment to take a better look at their surroundings.

"That song," Kat said, looking up.

"Pardon?"

"Listen."

Elizabeth listened.

_"The moon that lingered over London town/Poor puzzled moon, he wore a frown..."_

"I know this: 'A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.' It's one of my favorites."

Elizabeth looked up. That song had been showing up a lot lately: she sang it to Amber, it was playing at the Delta Casino, it was playing in her vision, Kat sang it to Amber, it played in the second vision…and now here.

"This can't be a coincidence," Elizabeth said, stopping.

"What?"

"When I first met Amber, she was panicking: I'd just killed her protector, she was reasonably scared. So I sang this song, and she immediately calmed down."

"Sounds like a coincidence to me: I used to sing it to her every night." Kat looked into the distance, somewhat dreamily. "After I got back from the hospital, she was only able to recognize me from that song."

"Yes, except since I sang it to her, I've heard it five times: sometimes it's a different version, sometimes it's an ADAM ghost vision of you singing it…"

"That's slightly terrifying."

"Yet it's always this song. Why?"

Suddenly, there was a loud clang.

Pause.

"Did you hear that?" Elizabeth asked nervously.

Kat looked up. "Probably the pipes."

"No, I could've sworn…somebody's in here with us." She raised her gun. "Hello?"

For a moment, silence. Then…

"Catch, Elizabeth!"

A plasmid landed right in Elizabeth's hand. "What the…" She took off her helmet and took a closer look at the contents. "Little Sister Cure…"

A few footsteps, and out of the shadows came a young, unspliced woman in her mid-30s, carrying a small radio.

"Who's the bimbo?" Kat asked, puzzled.

The woman looked at Kat up and down. _"Entschuldigen sie?"_

Elizabeth squinted her eyes. Images flashed through her head: a woman throwing a plasmid to Jack; a silhouetted figure smoking in a secret Little Sister nursery; a kind voice over the radio…

And finally, a woman sitting at a desk in a small room, leaning into a microphone and staring at several security camera feeds, watching someone in a diving suit walking around the city.

"Dr. Tenenbaum, I presume?" Elizabeth smiled, holding out her hand.

"In the flesh, _Fräulein Elizabeth_," Tenenbaum replied, shaking it. She looked up at the top of Elizabeth's head. "You are a lot taller than I thought you would be."

It was true: Elizabeth towered above the doctor.

"Dr. Tenenbaum? BRIGID Tenenbaum?" Kat asked darkly as she removed her helmet. "The scientist who started the Little Sister program?"

"Easy, Kat," Elizabeth warned as she inserted the plasmid into her suit. "She's on our side. Uh, Brigid, meet Katherine 'Kat' DeWinter MacLachlan."

"Charmed," Tenenbaum said, raising an eyebrow. She turned to Elizabeth. "Pardon me for asking, but why is she here?"

"Her daughter's Amber."

"...really?"

"You think I'd joke about this?"

"No, I was just considering what happened at the hospital...well, it makes sense, I suppose." She awkwardly looked at Kat. "I apologize for...you know."

"It's fine," Kat replied, but her expression didn't change.

Tenenbaum shifted uncomfortably. The ethics of her past actions were nothing she wanted to confront for now. "As we are on the topic, where is the little one?"

Now it was Elizabeth's turn to look uncomfortable. She looked over at Kat. "I lost her a little while ago, so Kat and I have made a truce so we can get her back."

Tenenbaum looked between the two women. "So…you two are friends now, correct?"

Elizabeth shrugged. "Sure."

"You have only known each other for half a day. And to be fair, that day started with you killing her husband. How is this possible?"

"Well, see, funny thing is," Kat piped up. "I actually met her while I was at work back in 1954. She's the one who introduced me to my husband, Angus."

Tenenbaum stared at Kat. "It must have been someone else. She has only been in the city since a few months before the revolution."

Kat looked at Elizabeth, who had a hand covering both her eyes. "Did you not tell her?"

"It was on my to-do list," Elizabeth whispered as the hand moved to cover her mouth.

"What was?" Tenenbaum asked, completely clueless.

"This is going to take too long to explain," Elizabeth whispered to Kat. She turned to Tenenbaum. "I think the more important question is this: why are you _here_?"

"You told me over the radio you were going to take a detour and that I should meet you here," Tenenbaum explained, waving the radio in the air.

Elizabeth and Kat looked at each other.

"I didn't radio you," Elizabeth said, puzzled.

Tenenbaum squinted her eyes. "But you did." She cleared her throat and said in a very bad American accent, "'Hey, Brigid, I'm going to make a detour. Meet me in Ryan's Department Complex in the Triton's Grotto building.'"

Kat stifled a laugh.

"Zip it," Elizabeth said, motioning to the Splicer. She turned back to the doctor. "But that's the issue: I haven't been able to contact you since the Delta Casino!"

"I can vouch for that," Kat said, shrugging. "She tried the radio a few times, you never responded."

"That cannot be right: I have spoken with you several times since then. It was the only way to communicate because none of the security cameras were working. The grid was knocked out while you were in the casino."

"Believe what you want, I haven't used this radio since then."

The trio looked around, nervous.

"Well, if she didn't call you, and you didn't call her…" Kat said slowly. "Who the hell did?"

* * *

Suddenly, everything went dark.

"Jesus!" Kat shouted. "Not again!"

She shined her flashlight around the area. Every few seconds they caught glimpses of something running just beyond the reach of the beam.

"Mother always told me to never trust the dark," Kat muttered.

"We've had some bad experiences with darkness lately," Elizabeth explained to Tenenbaum.

"Ah. Well, no one likes the feeling that they are completely alone with no one else nearby. What was it you were going to tell me, that you said was going to take too long?"

"I'm not sure now would be the best time to talk about this."

"Is it related to manipulating tears in the fabric of time and space?"

Elizabeth frowned. "How do you know about that?"

"Well, for one thing, Suchong did mention researching such a topic before his death. He spoke of a woman who mysteriously appeared in Rapture before the rebellion from something that appeared in the air, and I deduced quite some time back that it must have been you. You were always so distant about where you came from."

"Why didn't you mention it before?"

"I believed it would be rude, since you did not wish to speak of your past life. But whoever I've been speaking to for the past few hours spoke about your life extensively. You lost your pinky, you lived in a city in the sky called Columbia, you drowned your father in a pond…"

"That's a lot of personal detail," Elizabeth said nervously.

"I'll say," Kat muttered, trying to get a clear view of whatever was running around in the dark. "She never told me that. A city in the sky? That's kind of ridiculous."

Elizabeth stared at the Splicer. "And a city at the bottom of the ocean isn't?"

"…fair enough."

"That's not the problem here, Kat. How is there someone who can impersonate my voice and knows basically everything about my past life?"

Kat glanced back at Tenenbaum. "This charlatan: what did she say about Amber?"

"As far as the radio messages were concerned," Tenenbaum explained. "She was with Elizabeth the entire time. I actually heard the child occasionally, _und_ to me she sounded perfectly happy."

Elizabeth and Kat looked at each other.

"Call it wishful thinking, but I doubt our culprit can imitate a five year old," Kat said.

"What happened to her on your end?" Tenenbaum asked.

"I got ambushed in the basement of the Delta Casino, and the only contact I had with Amber was some crying over a radio when I was getting taunted. But that's really the extent of my knowledge. I—Kat, what's wrong?"

"Flashlight's running out of battery," Kat grunted, slamming her palms against each other a few times as the light flickered.

"It needs time to recharge," Elizabeth replied. "Just turn it off and switch it back on. It'll make the problem go away."

Kat shrugged and switched it off.

* * *

"Kat?" Elizabeth asked. "Aren't you going to turn it on again?"

There came no reply.

"Kat?"

Silence.

"Brigid?"

More silence.

"Am I alone?"

"It certainly seems that way, doesn't it?" came the voice of Rosalind Lutece. "Alone in the world once more. This is a situation you find very familiar, Elizabeth. Though, I must admit, the darkness can make one question whether they are even in the world. A newborn baby only knows the world it sees: when it can't see, the world simply ceases to exist."

"Where are you?" Elizabeth asked, feeling the air around her.

"I am in the shadows, Elizabeth. I'm afraid this is our only chance to talk before the climax. I am to leave you with this warning: _the mirror is not your reflection._"

* * *

There was a distinct click, and the light directly above Elizabeth came on. But she was alone.

Or was she? There was some familiar cackling and scurrying coming from the darkness.

A chill ran up Elizabeth's spine. She quickly checked her EVE supply and reloaded her gun. Out of the darkness, she swore she could see the face of a Splicer in a Cheshire Cat-like appearance: a wide-mouthed grin and the glowing eyes to compliment it.

The moment came, and the Splicer ran out of the shadows, swinging a wrench through the air. Elizabeth dodged the near-fatal blow.

"Hello, precious," the Splicer purred, licking her lips. "Why don't you dance with us?"

Elizabeth raised her gun and fired off a single shot. The Splicer screamed as a geyser of blood sprouted from her knee.

"Gonna be a little hard to dance with that, don't you think?" Elizabeth asked. She raised her hand and fired off a blast of Incinerate. The Splicer screamed as flames engulfed its flesh and made a run back to the shadows. In the process, she lit up the pathway, revealing at least four more.

"I didn't sign up for this," Elizabeth muttered. She could feel the ADAM in her system begin to boil. "Okay, psychos…**try and face Big Sister."**

"I would be delighted!" a Leadhead shouted. He jumped out and landed on Elizabeth's back. Elizabeth in turn flung herself upwards, slamming the Splicer against the rocks that made up the ceiling, then shifting her weight and landing on her back, right on top of the Splicer, in the process crushing him where he was.

Elizabeth pushed herself off the ground and shoved her ADAM needle straight through the neck of a Splicer that had run out from the dark. He made a pained gagging noise before sliding off and onto the ground.

Another Splicer, a Lady Jane, appeared from the shadows. But before she could even raise her wrench, Elizabeth stuck her palm on the Splicer's face and activated Electro Bolt. The distinct smell of cooked flesh permeated the room, and the Splicer collapsed on the floor.

A Splicer carrying a flail emerged from the darkness.

_"You gotta be kidding me,"_ Elizabeth thought to herself.

The Splicer swung it through the air, ready to launch it directly onto Elizabeth's face. His plan was stopped, however, by Elizabeth flinging her ADAM needle out and straight into his abdomen. He gagged as the ADAM was forced out of his veins, until finally, it was all gone. His bloodstream crystallized, and soon he was not much more than a fragile statue. The flail swung downwards and into his side, shattering him into little pieces.

Before she could make another move, she felt a distinct blast hit her in the side, sending her to the ground. Looking up, she saw another Splicer, holding a shotgun.

"Say your prayers, whore," he hissed as he ejected the shell. But before he could fire another shot, Elizabeth teleported away.

"What the hell?" he muttered. And those were his last words as he was downed by a blast to the back of the head from Elizabeth's hand cannon.

**"****You should've gone to church,"** Elizabeth replied, picking up the shotgun.

There was some heavy breathing, and out walked the Splicer from before, covered in burn marks and limping on her leg.

The burns…Elizabeth thought back to Kat, burning alive in Sinclair Pharmaceuticals.

"This day ain't over 'til I say it's over," the Splicer breathed.

Before Elizabeth could shake out of her momentary distraction, she felt a distinct clang as the wrench came down on her head. Dazed, she crumpled to the ground, blood oozing out of her left temple.

The Splicer knelt down beside her. "Lamb always says we have no use for independents," she growled. "You're no different than the rest to me."

She pulled out a needle. "I used to be a doctor, you know," she whispered. "I know all about killing people by injecting air into their bloodstream."

She raised the needle and prepared to insert it into Elizabeth's neck. But before she could, her murderous expression was replaced by a quizzical one. "What the hell?" she asked.

Elizabeth suddenly realized that the distinct pain from getting clocked on the head was gone. Feeling her forehead, she realized the injury had mysteriously healed itself.

"Your…" the Splicer started to say. And that was all she uttered before a splash of blood erupted from her eyeball, and she fell down, her corpse draped over Elizabeth's stomach. Elizabeth tried to move, but her head was still spinning, and she couldn't muster the energy to push the Splicer off.

All the lights came on. Standing nearby, with a smoking gun, was Sofia Lamb.

* * *

"Your death," the Rapture Family leader said smoothly. "Was not on my agenda."

Elizabeth stared at her. "Where's Amber?" she asked.

Lamb put the gun away, looking mildly impressed. "That's the first question, isn't it, Miss Comstock? 'Where's Amber?' Not 'Why did you save my life?' or, 'What are you doing here?' Your main concern is the girl." She knelt down. "That's expected from someone like you. Always putting others' lives before yourself. That is Rapture Family philosophy right there." She pulled out a syringe filled with an orange liquid and stuck it straight into Elizabeth's neck.

What was it, a truth serum? She didn't have a very good history with those.

"I said I wouldn't help you," Elizabeth said through clenched teeth. All of a sudden she was feeling very sleepy.

"You won't, I assure you," Lamb nodded, standing up. "I've found someone else to assist me in that regard." She walked away, towards a staircase leading up to the main mall. "You're going to go under for about five minutes. Normally the serum lasts longer, but the ADAM in your system will reverse the effects more rapidly. It's just enough time for me to make my exit. To answer your question, the Little Sister is safe. But I'm not so sure about your friends: my associate is in charge of their fates for now."

Elizabeth struggled to stay awake. "And who is your associate?"

Lamb smirked. "That's not a question I feel qualified to answer. Just one command, Miss Comstock: find them." She began making her way up the stairs. But then she stopped. "You already have."

Elizabeth drowsily turned her head. "What...?"

"You said you wouldn't help me. You already have." The woman continued on her way, not looking back. "Look for their prisons in the mall," she added as Elizabeth lost consciousness.

* * *

_The dark room was back, but something was different: it seemed more tangible, like she was actually in it. The radio was playing "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" as though the Glen Miller Orchestra were actually in the room._

_"__Do you know who I am?" her reflection asked._

_Elizabeth stared. "No," she said after a moment._

_The reflection smiled and raised its pinky finger, which flickered between real and a thimble. "I am the Anomaly," she whispered._

_Then she slammed her face against the mirror. It cracked, and blood oozed from the reflection's head. But it was no longer Elizabeth's reflection in the mirror. It was the unmistakable form of Zachary Hale Comstock. Staring at Elizabeth with a terrifying grin, he began to laugh._

_Horrified, Elizabeth turned around to face Robert Lutece once more._

_"__I'm afraid the masquerade is over," he said, sounding as though someone had punched out his gut._

_"_I may be right, I may be wrong/ But I'm perfectly willing to swear_,"_ _the reflection sang wildly to the tune of the song. "_That when you turned and smiled at me/A nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…"_  
_

_"__No…no…" Elizabeth cowered. "Make it stop. Make it stop…"_

_"__Do you hear it, Elizabeth?" her reflection called, pointing to the radio, the music now deafening. "It's all coming together! This whole business will explode like a cracker at Christmas!"_

_Elizabeth covered her ears, trying to block out the sound._

_Suddenly, the mirror shattered before her. Standing behind the empty frame was Booker DeWitt, lowering his Sky-Hook._

_"__Elizabeth," he said sternly.  
_

_Elizabeth looked at him. "What are you…?"_

_Booker stepped through the frame and walked right before her. "Wake up."_

_He raised the Sky-Hook again, and Elizabeth prepared for the worst. But instead of hitting her on the head, he slammed it against a pane of glass separating the two, shattering the whole image and plunging everything into darkness._

* * *

Elizabeth blinked. She was still on the ground, the dead Splicer lying right on top of her.

"Why are these people so heavy?" she muttered as she finally managed to shove the body off of her. She stood up, prepared to beat up Lamb for what had happened, but the woman was long gone.

The mall…Ryan's Department Complex. Apparently department stores in Rapture made good prisons.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**I like _Doctor Who_, okay?**

**R.I.P. Monty Oum.**


	16. We Live Inside A Dream

Elizabeth crept down the hallway. She didn't like creeping down hallways in Rapture. That usually meant something was going to jump out and try to kill her.

Keeping this in mind, the moment she had made it through a door and out into the main concourse she ducked behind a bench, hidden from two Splicers walking by.

"I like this idea of working for others rather than ourselves," one said. "But why we gotta worship the lady's daughter? Isn't she a little young to be our messiah or whatever?"

"Talk like that is gonna make you fish food for a Big Daddy," the other replied.

"But come on: aren't you a _little_ suspicious Lamb is advertising her own kid as our savior?"

"I said zip it."

"Nepotism, really."

"Shut up or I'll chop your foot off."

Given they were now out of sight, Elizabeth felt it best to leave them alone. But then they said something that gave her pause.

"What is this thing here?" The Splicer was pointing to a vacant storefront. Floating in the doorway was a thin, white line, shimmering a few times.

"Another one of them tears. Lamb's associate's been putting 'em everywhere. Says they're little traps for that Comstock lady's friends."

The associate could make tears? As far as she knew there were only three people in the universe who could do that: herself and the Lutece Twins.

Could it be Rosalind? No, she had gone through so much trouble to help: the warning in the darkness, the cookies that cured the EVE needle allergy, it didn't make any sense. But Robert…she wasn't so sure about Robert. His only appearances had been in those bizarre dreams she had.

She needed to investigate this tear.

She peaked out and looked around the corner. The two Splicers had gone off to do some dirty work. Cautiously, she tip-toed up to the tear.

Something was behind it. She could see dark walls and rows and rows of something.

"What is this?" she thought out loud.

_"__Why don't you try and find out?"_ the reply came as a whisper from the tear.

Elizabeth looked around. No one in sight, so…

"Here goes nothing," she muttered, opening it.

* * *

Elizabeth found herself standing in a large room. There were rows and rows of small beds lined up against the walls, each one neatly made.

At one end of the room stood Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, attending to a small girl sitting in a wheelchair.

"You took a nasty fall back there," Tenenbaum commented. "How are you feeling now?"

"Better, Mama Tenenbaum," the girl answered.

"Do you remember your name?"

The girl shook her head.

"We'll try again tomorrow. Just get some rest now."

"Brigid?"

Tenenbaum froze. Before Elizabeth could even react, the doctor had pulled out her gun and spun around in a fighting stance.

Upon recognizing the intruder, she lowered her weapon. "Elizabeth?" she asked. "What are…" She looked down at the child. "What is this?"

"So, you remember me…I guess that means we're not in the past." Elizabeth looked around the room. "Where are we?"

"This is my sanctuary near Olympus Heights," Tenenbaum explained. "It's where I keep the little ones. At least, it looks like my sanctuary." She looked down at the Little Sister. "This is not possible: I sent all of my little ones up to the surface with Ryan's son."

Elizabeth frowned as she walked over to a nearby doorway. She swung it open, revealing a brick wall.

"I figured as much," she said, closing the door. "This place isn't real: it's an exact replica of this one room in your bunker."

"Is the girl real?" Tenenbaum asked, stepping back.

Before Elizabeth could reply, there was a flourish of whispering voices. _"It depends on how you look at it. On the one hand, the real one is lying in bed somewhere in New York. On the other hand, right now she is dreaming she is back in the nursery, being cared for by a certain doctor."_

"How do we get out?" Elizabeth asked.

The distant voice laughed. _"You'll find that won't be as simple as explaining the girl."_

There was a loud stomping noise.

"What was that?"

Another stomp.

"Ah," Tenenbaum said, looking forlorn. "I know what this is." She pulled out her gun. "Ever since I started rescuing the little ones, I've had a recurring nightmare."

"Nightmare?"

The stomping grew louder.

"Whenever I was able to find a girl, she was usually alone: her protector had either become distracted or had died due to some wretched Splicers. But I always had the nagging feeling that a Big Daddy was going to come back and look for his Little Sister…"

There was a loud rumble. The door came crashing down, and in walked an Alpha Series Big Daddy.

"Jiminy crickets, he's huge!" Elizabeth exclaimed. "Now what do we do?"

"I won't let him hurt the girl," Tenenbaum said, stepping back to cover the Little Sister.

"Brigid, she's not really here."

"Nonetheless, he's in our way: I won't let him hurt any of us."

"Well, his eyes are green, so he's probably not—"

**_"_****_ROOOOOOAAAAARRRR!"_**

"Ah. Now he's mad." Elizabeth pulled out her tommy gun.

"No, it has to be me who delivers the killing blow," Tenenbaum said. "I started this, I end it."

"Fine with me," Elizabeth said, handing the doctor her tommy gun. "But I'll keep it distracted so you can get a clear shot," she added, putting her helmet on.

* * *

Lamb observed the fight through the tear. "Their cooperation is astounding," she said. "Working to help each other, not their own selves. They would make good members of the Rapture Family."

"You assume she would agree with how you treat your naysayers," the associate replied. "I can assure you that she would not."

"Hmm, it is a pity," Lamb sighed. "Assuming that she does get her friends out of the traps you set…"

"She will," the associate hissed. "I guarantee it."

"…what fate shall befall the lot of them?"

The associate growled. "You can leave the songbird to me. You have no use for Dr. Tenenbaum and the Splicer, do you?"

"I do not."

"Well then, I suggest you send them to the surface. With the Little Sister."

"Little Sisters are things of worship in my teachings."

"You have no shortage of little girls, Sofia. Not now, anyway."

Lamb eyed the associate suspiciously. "I'll take that under advisement."

They watched the fight a little more. With a final spray of bullets, the Big Daddy slammed into the ground.

"What exactly do you plan on doing with the songbird?" Lamb asked.

The associate smiled. "I only wish to tie up the loose ends."

* * *

Elizabeth looked at the body. "Just need to be sure he's dead," she explained. "I've…had some bad experiences with Big Daddies."

There was an odd noise. _"Very good, the both of you,"_ the distant voice whispered. _"I suppose it's time to send you off. After all, you need to look for your gay friend."_

"She's not gay, she's pansexual," Elizabeth retorted.

Tenenbaum stared at her. "Err...what?"

_"__Hmm, yes, that is an important distinction. No matter: the exit is through the tear."_

A tear appeared in the air above the Big Daddy.

"Let's go," Elizabeth said, getting her gun back from Tenenbaum.

"Wait a minute." The doctor picked up the little girl. "What do we do with her?"

_"__Ah yes,"_ the distant voice said. _"Masha Lutz. Don't worry, Dr. Tenenbaum. I will send her back to New York. This will all just be a dream for her: the heroics of Mama Tenenbaum. Appreciate your time with the little ones for as long as you can, Doctor. Children forget their mothers when they no longer need them."_

Masha Lutz disappeared from Tenenbaum's hands.

"Well, good to know whoever's threatening us knows a thing or two about children," Elizabeth shrugged. "And sexuality."

"I don't like it when you talk about things in the future that aren't a well-discussed topic in today's society."

"Well, neither do people in the future. You're in good company."

* * *

They stepped out of the tear and into the abandoned store.

"Ah," Tenenbaum muttered, smelling the air. "This is _wunderbar_. Nothing bad could ever happen to us here."

_"__Your sarcasm has been noted,"_ Sofia Lamb said over Elizabeth's radio. _"I personally believe I could just send you two off to go find the Splicer, but my associate has other ideas."_

"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Silence.

"Did it get colder in here?"

"Shush!"

"What?"

"Shush!"

They looked around.

"I heard something," Tenenbaum said. She turned to Elizabeth. "I want you to stay as silent as possible. Do not talk, do not move, do not even breathe."

Elizabeth stared at her, but did as she was told. She watched as Tenenbaum sniffed the air and turned around in place a few times.

Suddenly, the doctor flung out her gun and fired off five shots in various directions.

"What the hell?!" Elizabeth exclaimed.

The air fluttered with red, and five Houdini Splicers hit the floor.

Elizabeth stared at the doctor, stupefied. "How did you—what was—?" she stammered.

Tenenbaum shrugged. "I learned that escaping the _Werwolfs_," she replied.

_"__I always had my suspicions on you,"_ Lamb commented, taken aback. _"I never believed the idea of a weak woman who only cares about little children and science."_

Tenenbaum put her gun back in her holster. "When you're a woman who has been in the situations I've been in, you need to know how to defend yourself." She looked at Elizabeth. "Where is _Fräu _MacLachlan?"

"Still trying to figure that one out," Elizabeth replied. "Logic dictates Lamb's associate took her into another tear. Guess that's where we're going."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**Tenenbaum never saw too much action in the BioShock games. But I always had this nagging feeling she knew a thing or two about self-defense after seeing her kill that Splicer in the first game. It was a good contrast to her role as the Little Sisters' caretaker, a contrast we didn't see much of afterwards.**

**To be honest, Tenenbaum is a character that they could have done a lot more with besides the caretaker role.**


	17. Flame

"Elizabeth, there is something I have been meaning to ask," Tenenbaum whispered. They had stationed themselves in a bathroom for a moment to catch their breath.

"What is it?"

"You have…well, had…the ability to see every possibility, every universe, and in some cases you could take yourself to one."

"Correct."

"Why did you never go back to your father?"

Elizabeth froze. "You know why Booker went to Columbia in the first place? Because the Lutece Twins offered him the possibility of a reunion with his daughter. He had spent the last two decades lying alone in his misery, riddled with guilt. Seeing his daughter again after so long was the only thing that could make him happy again. Of course, he forgot almost everything when he went through the tear to Comstock's universe, but eventually he realized who the young woman he had been accompanying was. And then he had the opportunity to set things right, to prevent all that happened to him...and, by extension, her. That meant a complete reset of events: he woke up in his office from twenty years before, and his daughter was there, asleep in her crib."

"Yet you remain."

"I'm no longer the girl who was taken from her crib, Brigid. I exist beyond the known universe. Anna DeWitt lives on in that world with her father raising her. She grows up and becomes a well-known physician. As for me, I was meant to decompose in a deserted hallway with only a Little Sister to watch over me, until the Lutece Twins changed that fate. I hate to say it, but I'm not Booker's daughter anymore."

Tenenbaum stared at her. "I suppose," she said after a while. "There's an important question here: are you happy with how everything's turned out?"

Elizabeth bit her lip. "He has his Anna now, he doesn't need me. As long as he's happy, I'm happy."

Tenenbaum tilted her head. "I may be a geneticist, but I'm not an idiot, Elizabeth. I know when a person is lying."

Elizabeth smiled weakly.

"I can also sense something's on your mind."

"Geneticist, was it? You're practically a psychic."

"Elizabeth, you can tell me what's wrong."

Elizabeth folded her arms. "I guess I'm not sure what I'm going to do once this is all over. If Lamb hadn't interrupted our initial escape attempt, I would've gone up to the surface with you and stuck around until my powers came back. After that, I never thought about it. The Lutece Twins have never settled down since the accident that killed them because they feel it is their duty to know the mysteries of the universe. Me? I'm just a lost soul who never had the chance for a normal lifestyle."

"There are plenty of career opportunities for a young woman in New York," Tenenbaum suggested. "A secretary, a writer, an actor…you sing, correct? You could be a singer."

Elizabeth laughed. "Or maybe a fortune teller. And I would tell fortunes to the people who deserved it."

"What kind of people would deserve to have their future told?"

"Well, good people, really. Homeless people who are looking for the opportunity that will give them money, children unsure if they will succeed…maybe even people like you."

"What does my future look like?" Tenenbaum asked.

Elizabeth looked at her. She wondered if she should tell her about her eventual return to Rapture in ten years' time.

"Rosy," she said after a while.

* * *

"Another tear," Elizabeth mused as they walked to the white line floating in the air before them. "This must be where Kat is. Ready to go in?"

"Perhaps I am better off standing guard," the doctor replied. "Getting ambushed would be a grim way to end the day."

"Fair enough. I'll try to be quick."

"The thought occurs: the room the other tear depicted was what one might call a place for me to go to in my dreams. Where do you think _Fräulein _DeWinter goes?"

Elizabeth thought about this. "I have my suspicions," she said after a while. "See you in a bit."

* * *

Elizabeth took a moment to get her bearings. Surrounding her were shelves and shelves of candy, medicine, and other wares. Muzak played: _"I don't want to set the world on fire…"_

"Wait a minute." She recognized this place all too well. Sinclair Pharmaceuticals in full pre-Civil War condition.

Standing behind the counter, reading a magazine and dressed in a pink smock, was Kat.

Only something was different. The post-rebellion injuries Kat had sustained were completely gone: she looked like she did in 1954.

The drug store girl looked up. "Yike! When'd you walk in? I didn't even—" she stopped. "Elizabeth?"

Elizabeth walked up to the counter. "Hello, Kat."

Kat took a look around. "So this _is_ a dream," she sighed. "The untouched face sort of confirmed that, but I wasn't so sure." She pursed her lips. "I suppose the bricked up windows and doors was a sign of that."

Elizabeth looked. Sure enough, the windows and the door were all blocked off by a brick wall: they weren't getting out anytime soon.

"Not a dream, no," Elizabeth explained. "More an illusion. Created as a place to trap you."

Kat nodded. She looked over at the old record player connected to the sound system. She walked over to it, adjusted the needle, then stepped back.

_"__That certain night, the night we met/There was magic abroad in the air…"_

"It's nice, isn't it?" she commented, crossing her arms.

Elizabeth was taken aback. The woman was being unnervingly calm about her situation.

"Kat, we need to get out."

The Splicer simply looked at Elizabeth. "Do you like lemonade?"

Before Elizabeth could respond, Kat reached under the counter and put out a pitcher of a clear liquid.

"That doesn't look like—"

"Give me a moment." Kat pulled out a glass, filled it with ice, slid it across the counter, then poured the liquid in. It changed into an electric pink color. "Drink," she said, pushing it in front of Elizabeth.

Seeing no other option, Elizabeth picked up the glass and cautiously took a sip. Finding nothing wrong with the drink itself (it was actually quite refreshing), she began to drink the rest. As she did so, she looked into Kat's eyes.

She was fairly certain that regular eyeballs didn't have static playing in the irides.

Elizabeth stopped drinking, looked down at what was left of her lemonade, then tossed it straight into Kat's face.

The Splicer sputtered in surprise, and her eyes returned to normal.

"Was that necessary?" she groaned as she wiped her face off.

"If it worked, it was," Elizabeth replied, pushing the rest of the glass towards the Splicer. She grabbed a napkin from the counter and handed it to Kat.

The drug store girl pouted. "Had to knock reality right into me, didn't you?" she snorted as she wiped her face off. "I was enjoying this."

Elizabeth frowned. "Why?"

Kat paused and took in her surroundings. "Simpler times, you know?" she sighed. "Before Angus, before Amy, before Chelsea even, there was the drug store. Reading the latest gossip, stealing our stock, flirting with customers…on those cold nights in this hell-hole of a city, even when I wasn't so sure about who I was, or what I used to be, there was always the drug store at the back of my mind."

Elizabeth nodded understandingly.

Kat rubbed her fingers against the cash register. "But it's not real," she muttered angrily. She lifted up the counter-top and stepped out into the main store. "Well, if you don't mind, I guess it's time to go."

They were just about to leave when…

_"__New Years Eve away from home."_

"What the hell?"

_"__Angus said he'll pop by soon to check on me…"_

The duo turned around to face the counter. Sitting there was an audio diary that was definitely not there a few seconds before.

"Did you…?"

"Don't look at me, I don't want anything to do with that recording."

_"…__As for me, I've helped myself to the liquor cabinet. Well, at least I was able to kiss Amy good night. Mrs. Yasmine is babysitting, so we—"_

Suddenly, there was a loud explosion – not from the audio diary, but from outside the front of the store.

Turning to look at the front of the store, they saw the brick walls had disappeared, but the outside was hardly any better: smoke pillowing out of random spots of fire, corpses lying everywhere, Splicers screaming with delight.

Kat's expression darkened.

_"__Hang on, what was that…?"_

There were some shouts, more explosions, and gunfire. All this not on the recording, but as far as Elizabeth was concerned, right outside.

"Kat, what are you doing with that gun?"

"I'm not letting this happen again," the drug store girl growled.

The door swung open, and in stumbled two Splicers, one holding a gun and the other holding a can of gas in one hand and a lighter in the other.

Kat raised her weapon and fired off a shot. There was a splash of blood, and the armed Splicer dropped his weapon in surprise.

"FINK!" Kat screeched. She ran straight at him and slammed him into the ground.

"Torch the place, Kieran!" the Splicer screamed to his companion as he tried to fight his attacker.

Figuring Kat had it covered, Elizabeth turned to the other Splicer. For a moment they stared at each other, not sure what to do. At some point the Splicer figured someone with a pretty face like that would be too weak or scared to do anything he should be afraid of. Snarling, he popped open the cap on his gas can.

Before he could start pouring it, Elizabeth fired off a teleportation dart, slammed her fist into her side, and appeared right in front of the Splicer. Surprised, he lost concentration on the can. Taking advantage of this, Elizabeth sent her hand up, hitting the can along the way and dumping gasoline all over the Splicer. In his shock, he dropped the can, revealing a lighter he had ready in his hands.

Elizabeth grabbed at his wrist, caught the lighter, sparked the flint, then tossed it onto the gasoline puddle that had formed around the Splicer. He only managed to let out a pathetic scream before collapsing in flames.

"Burn it all to hell," Elizabeth muttered. She turned to look back at Kat.

The drug store girl had…well…_demolished_ the other Splicer. Her hands dripped with blood, and her shirt was stained red.

"Avenged," she said, breathing deeply.

Elizabeth walked over to her friend. "You okay?"

Kat took a deep breath. "It's closure. That's all this is. Closure."

There was a strange sound, and the two corpses vanished. The store cleaned itself up as though it hadn't even been disturbed.

_"__There are always moments, Elizabeth,"_ the distant voice whispered. _"Moments you wish could have happened differently. Moments that could have been made better with more preparation. I wonder what would happen if we put you in a moment just like that?"_

Kat looked around. "What exactly is that supposed to—" Suddenly, she let out a yelp as an invisible force flung her through a tear that had appeared right before her.

"Hey!" Elizabeth shouted. But before she could do anything, the store was engulfed in a white light, then disappeared altogether, leaving only a black void.

_"Now..."_ the distant voice purred. _"Let's go back a few steps. I believe it starts with a revelation..."_

* * *

**Author's Note:  
**

**Who doesn't love the Ink Spots?**

**(don't answer that question.)**

**Why did they adapt a _Twilight_ fanfiction into a movie? They should do a film version of _Blue Sky_ or maybe even this one.  
**


	18. Viscera

_"Elizabeth…child, I'm sorry…"_

_Elizabeth had watched the Big Daddy push itself off the ground. She knew what was going to happen. And she did nothing to stop it. Not even a hint of a warning as the Bouncer lifted his drill._

_"No you're not. But you're about to be."_

_The drill went right through Comstock's stomach, splattering blood everywhere. The former prophet made a pained gagging noise, one that grew harsher as the Bouncer spun the drill and pulled it out._

_Elizabeth felt the blood, still warm on her face, and Comstock's pleading eyes, still locked-on to her. And that was when she realized she remembered this. And she realized she was no longer exposed in her Rapture dress, but in her diving suit, complete with spliced genetics._

_The Big Daddy shoved Comstock to the ground and turned his attention to Elizabeth. He raised his drill and let out a groan as he launched it right at her._

* * *

But this time, Elizabeth didn't get the full force of his hit. She threw herself into the air and let the drill get stuck in a wall as she landed directly behind the Bouncer. She whipped out her hand cannon and fired off a few shots. The Big Daddy howled, turned around, and flung himself right at her.

Elizabeth swung to the side, letting the Big Daddy throw itself off the balcony and down onto the floor below. It tried to push itself up, dazed.

Elizabeth prepared to throw herself down and fight the Big Daddy once more, but she was stopped by a flourish of voices.

"_Isn't this better, Elizabeth? Fighting the cause of your troubles, the infamous Big Daddy. You couldn't get revenge before: you were weak. Powerless and alone. Perhaps letting Comstock live was preferable to dying at the hands of Fontaine."_

Elizabeth swallowed nervously as she jumped down to the floor below. The Big Daddy had managed to get up by then, and it was no less mad.

Elizabeth held up her hand and fired off Electro Shock. As the Big Daddy shuddered, she pulled out her shotgun and let out several blasts, screaming incoherently as she did so.

"_That's it, Elizabeth. Let all the anger out. You didn't deserve any of this. Just keep fighting him."_

Elizabeth paused. By now, the Big Daddy had recovered from the electricity and was preparing to fire off its drill. Instead of a show of acrobatics, Elizabeth simply ran up the stairs, fast enough to leave the Big Daddy standing below in surprise, but not fast enough that she was putting her all into it.

"_What are you doing? Fight him, Elizabeth! Fight the monster!"_

"That's now how events happened," Elizabeth replied.

"_Why does it matter, Elizabeth? Isn't it better than letting them happen as they did?"_

The Big Daddy was stomping up the stairs.

"_Losing all your abilities? Nearly losing the Little Sister to Atlas? Dying at the hands of Fontaine, left to rot in Rapture for over a year?"_

"You know what also happened? I saved Sally from becoming Fontaine's little ADAM toy. I set the events in motion that led to Ryan's son coming to Rapture. And now I have the potential to reunite a little girl with her mother. And you know what? Killing him would've stopped all that from happening."

The Big Daddy was almost upon her. He raised his drill, prepared to send her flying through a wall, where a strand of rebar was ready to impale her.

"I wouldn't let it happen any other way."

And then the Big Daddy sent its drill straight at her.

* * *

Time stopped.

Elizabeth looked down. The drill was frozen mere inches from her body. Nervous, she quietly stepped back.

"_Very good, Elizabeth. I wasn't so sure you would solve this puzzle."_

The Big Daddy vanished. Now the whole room was disappearing in a blinding white light.

"_Now…let's try that again, shall we?"_

* * *

"_Hang on, what was that…?"_

There were some shouts, more explosions, and gunfire. All this not on the recording, but as far as Elizabeth was concerned, right outside.

"Kat, what are you doing with that gun?"

"I'm not letting this happen again," the drug store girl growled.

Elizabeth suddenly realized what was happening. Quickly, she grabbed for Kat's gun.

"Hey!" Kat shouted as it fell out of her hands.

Elizabeth quickly picked up the gun and disappeared behind the counter. The drug store girl stared in her direction, bewildered.

The door swung open, and in stumbled two Splicers, one holding a gun and the other holding a can of gas in one hand and a lighter in the other.

The armed Splicer spotted Kat, licked his lips, and fired off a shot that landed squarely in her stomach. The drug store girl, shocked, hit the floor.

"Torch the place, Kieran!" the Splicer shouted to his buddy.

Kat lay on the ground, bleeding. She looked over at Elizabeth, who remained hidden. "Why?" she coughed, some blood trickling out of her mouth.

"It's for your own good, Kat," Elizabeth replied.

Kat coughed again, and this time, blood began to pour out of her nose. "We've done this before," she said, with a look of realization crossing her face. "We killed them…I was human again." She pointed at her face. "I could've been normal."

"Kat, listen to me," Elizabeth said, trying not to let the Splicers see her. "Do you think any of this matters?"

"Don't get philosophical on me now, I'm dying, you harlot."

"I mean this, this memory—killing the Splicers, preserving your face…would it change any of the events that happened as they were?"

Kat was still in a lot of pain, but she managed to muster enough energy to consider this question.

"This place isn't real, Kat. And even if it was, all it would have done is kept your face normal. And that wouldn't matter: Angus would've stuck with you regardless, Amber would have run away because of your ADAM-induced rage, I would've killed Angus in that hallway…changing our pasts won't matter, things still happen. And there's nothing we can do to stop it."

Kat opened her mouth to respond, but was interrupted by one of the Splicers shouting, "Girly's still alive!"

There was a slight hissing noise, and the store went up in flames.

"Don't bother with her! She'll burn in the fire!"

Kat stared at the flames that were rapidly approaching her face. Then she looked back at Elizabeth.

"Reality stinks," she grunted as her face caught fire.

A moment later, a shelf came tumbling down, crushing one of her legs. The Splicer clenched her jaw, but she did not scream.

* * *

Everything stopped.

The flames were extinguished, and the shelf disappeared. Kat looked down: she was now wearing her diving suit, with the burned and torn Sinclair Pharmaceutical's smock draped over her stomach.

"_Madam Comstock has taught you a valuable lesson, Kat,"_ the distant voice toned. _"We shouldn't change events that are set in stone. Because it changes other people's lives, and maybe not for the better. There comes a point where you have to stop caring about yourself and start caring about how you affect the people around you. Rapture Family logic isn't so bad after all."_

"Perhaps," Elizabeth replied. "But that's not going to convince me of anything."

"My nose was bleeding," Kat said flatly, wiping the trail of blood from below her nostrils.

"It was," Elizabeth nodded. "Alright, whoever this is. I've rescued Tenenbaum and I've rescued Kat. Now where is Amber?"

The distant voice paused. _"That will be revealed shortly, but to assuage any suspicions, she is, in fact, still alive."_

"I can't guarantee your reliability."

The distant voice chuckled. _"Can't you, Elizabeth?"_

Kat looked at her friend. "Umm…are you okay?" she asked.

Elizabeth was standing there quietly, deep in thought.

"Elizabeth?"

"What? Oh, right…let's go."

* * *

They stepped out of the tear, startling Tenenbaum.

"Already?" she asked, puzzled. "You were only gone for a few seconds!"

"Is that a way to greet me?" Kat retorted.

Tenenbaum opened her mouth, but not finding the words, she closed it and nervously gritted her teeth.

Kat smiled, picked up Tenenbaum's hand, and firmly shook it. The doctor sighed with relief.

"Probably half an hour for me," Elizabeth shrugged.

Kat stared at her. "I wouldn't say it was a few seconds, but I definitely wouldn't say it was _that_ long. What's the matter with you?"

Elizabeth didn't answer. Instead, she activated her radio. "Okay, Lamb, I've rescued the both of them. We had a deal."

"_You've done very well, Miss Comstock. The girl is with me, and will be returned to her mother when convenient."_

Kat took a deep breath. "_Now_ would be pretty convenient."

"_Be thankful, Mrs. MacLachlan. If I had not made my deal with my associate, she would've remained with me as a thing of worship. Perhaps she could've lived a better life with me than anything you could manage."_

Kat gritted her teeth and clenched her fists. Tenenbaum grabbed at the Splicer's arm and gave a stern expression. Kat hissed, but she relaxed her fingers.

"_Return to the submarine pen. I think it's time you became familiar with my associate."_


	19. The Masquerade Is Over

**Author's Note:**

**Sorry this took so long. Got an illness, then got stuck on the next chapter, then had to do Spring Break homework, then I...here's the chapter.  
**

* * *

"Lamb's associate sounds like a complete tramp," Kat said as they made their way down the stairs into Triton's Grotto. "Putting us in our worst nightmares, forcing you to relive your death…what a bastard."

"I wouldn't jump to conclusions on this person's motives yet," Tenenbaum warned. "We don't even know if it's a man or a woman."

"Hold it," Elizabeth said.

"What?"

Elizabeth pointed towards a tear that was placed directly in front of a locked door. "Was that there before?" She jumped down the rest of the staircase (mind you, there were still about eight steps) and ran over to the tear.

"I never realized you were athletic," Tenenbaum mused as she reached the bottom of the steps.

"Really?" Kat snarked. "That's what interests you about this situation? How about the fact that she's grown a foot since I first met her?"

Elizabeth laughed, somewhat distractedly: her main focus was the tear. "That's an exaggeration, I'm sure."

"No, I'm serious," Kat insisted. "Back in that hallway when you…back when we had our first fight, I was about your height. You remember, I was heavy enough for you to stumble a bit before slamming me against that wall."

"Sure."

"Just look at me for a moment."

Elizabeth looked down. "What?"

"Isn't it a bit odd I'm craning my neck to get a look at your face?" Kat asked.

It suddenly occurred to Elizabeth she was seven inches taller than Kat.

"That's…not right," she said, reaching for her back, as if her spine had any of the answers. She looked at Tenenbaum, lost.

"I've never seen anything like this," the doctor said, puzzled.

Elizabeth looked at her hands. "Isn't one of the side-effects of ADAM usage increased height?"

"Also a short temper, and excessive violence," Tenenbaum nodded. "But over the course of only a few hours? I reckon you would have to be pumping with the substance constantly. Not Fontaine-constantly, though: more of a controlled dosage. Enough for your body to rely on it, but not enough to drive you Splicer-insane—no offense, Katherine."

"Nah, it's fine," Kat shrugged. She smirked. "No one's called me 'Katherine' in a long time now, actually."

Elizabeth had a sickening feeling in her stomach as she began to realize why the tank on her back felt so heavy. But before she could say anything about it, she was interrupted by a noise coming from the tear.

* * *

Two voices, one clearly from Sofia Lamb, but the other…more like a series of whispers.

_"__You've held up your end of the bargain, Sofia. I guess I shall hold up mine. Ask away."_

_"__I want you to tell me about Eleanor."_

_"__She's a very healthy young girl."_

_"__I mean…will she become the holy vessel to my followers?"_

_"__Eleanor will bring nothing but good to the world. She will be a strong, young lady who would easily make a fine leader. You do not need to worry about her being anything less than you make her out to be."_

_"__Is that a yes?"_

_"__Take it as you will."_

* * *

"That's the voice we were talking to, back in the tear," Kat observed.

"Lamb's associate," Elizabeth agreed. "Did you notice how that voice sounded like a crowd of people talking at the same time?"

"A method of disguise," Tenenbaum suggested. "Probably altered through the tears, I do not think the associate had a reason to disguise their voice from Lamb."

There was a slight click, and the doorway opened up, revealing a long hallway, littered with tears.

"Guess we have to go through there," Kat said. "Do I have to make it clear that I don't like this?"

"You _are_ one to speak your mind," Elizabeth shrugged. "But no, you don't need to make it clear." She stepped up to the next tear.

* * *

_"__Why do you dawdle so?"_ Lamb asked. She sounded very annoyed.

A familiar voice, one that Elizabeth absolutely despised, responded. _"Dr. Lamb, as devoted we are to your cause—"_

_"__Don't try to flatter me, Mr. Kennedy, what is your issue?"_

"The Gambler," Elizabeth growled.

_"__Look, the men and me…the designs the songbird gave us, for this 'siphon' thingamabob—they're really bizarre."_

_"__You're not rocket scientists, you don't need to understand how a siphon works."_

_"__Well do you understand how it works?"_

_"__Do not speak out of line, Mr. Kennedy. It is not my duty to understand how they work."_

_"__Really. You're taking orders from someone else now?"_

There was a long pause.

_"__I will deal with your shortly, Mr. Kennedy. In the meantime, you will stick to her designs and build the siphon."_

* * *

"Hmm," Elizabeth muttered. "So she arranged his death because he was a smart-alec. Resourceful, don't you think?"

Kat and Brigid stared at her.

"I'm just saying…"

* * *

_"__Robert and Rosalind Lutece,"_ the associate observed. _"Brilliant minds, but not the best at attempting escapes."_

_"__We're scientists, madam,"_ replied the voice of Rosalind Lutece. She sounded as though she had been beaten up pretty badly, her stream of words punctuated by heavy and pained breathing. _"We're not killing machines."_

_"__You seemed willing to kill me just to get away."_

_"__I object to that description, you ambushed us and I happened to have a gun,"_ Robert Lutece replied. _"I'm not even sure I know how you managed to find us."_

_"__When I put my mind to something, I get what I want,"_ the associate snorted. _"And you know what I want?"_

Rosalind responded, but the first word spoken, the name of the associate, was covered by a deafening scratching noise that made the three listeners cringe. _"**/\/\/\/\/**_, she is innocent."

_"__Do you think that explanation is going to stop me? You're a scientist, Rosalind, and time is running short."_

_"__For you. We do not need to help you."_

_"__You test my patience, Madame Lutece."_

There was a slight slashing noise. Rosalind Lutece let out a pained gasp.

_"__Is that the best you have?"_ she asked after taking a deep breath. _"A cut to the cheek? We've survived a sabotaged lab experiment. We survived Comstock. We survived the reboot of the universe. That was pathetic."_

There was a long pause.

_"__See this thing on my hand?"_

_"__Of course I see it. I cannot say I know what it is, though."_

_"__Think carefully, Rosalind. Following your alleged death, experimentation on tears and the new technology that went with it was turned over to Jeremiah Fink, who experimented with various little gadgets, including this one. They called it, 'The Lutece Field Extractor.'"_

Pause.

_"__So you _do _know what it is, then. I can see it on your face."_

_"__Are you threatening me, ___**/\/\/\/\/**_?"_

_"__Of course not. I'm threatening your brother."_

_"__What—"_ Robert Lutece started to say before letting out a blood-curling scream, accompanied by the distinct sound of electricity.

_"__Stop it—STOP IT!"_ Rosalind shouted.

The crackling and the screaming stopped.

_"__Will you do what I ask, Rosalind?"_

_"__Damn you! You are everything we hoped you wouldn't be! You've met your full potential, ___**/\/\/\/\/**_! You're as bad as _**him**_!"_

_"__I will take that a yes."_

* * *

The tear closed.

"What happened?" Kat asked.

"They did something to Robert Lutece," Elizabeth replied, biting her lip. She recalled the scar running down Rosalind Lutece's cheek during the cookie encounter.

This also provided an explanation as to Rosalind appearing solo. But it didn't answer why Robert had appeared in her bizarre visions.

"Who is Robert Lutece?" Kat asked, trying to fill the awkward silence that had occurred due to Elizabeth's thinking.

"A scientist," Tenenbaum explained. "Not unlike me. Brother of Rosalind Lutece, or rather, a male version of her from another universe. They were responsible for designing the technology that kept Elizabeth's city in the clouds afloat. They also set the events in motion that led to her brief reunion with her father."

"They're also the reason I'm alive right now," Elizabeth added.

* * *

Another tear: Rosalind and the associate.

_"__Is it ready?"_ the associate asked.

_"__It is one thing to rush science,"_ Rosalind replied. _"But it is an entirely different thing to rush cooking."_

"Cooking?" Kat asked.

_"__I thought your intention was to kill her. Cookies are hardly a life-threatening object."_

_"__If I want to get my hands on her, I'd rather she not die from anaphylactic shock before then. Hence, cookies made from a special form of Suchong's oxidizing agent."_

* * *

"This associate is showing an obvious conflict of interests," Tenenbaum observed. "She wants to kill you, but also wants to make sure you don't die."

* * *

_"__Why are you so obsessed with the confronting the girl?"_ Sofia Lamb asked.

_"__Time is governed by some other force, a force that we cannot explain. She was supposed to die in that bathysphere, but her actions led her here."_

"Wait, what…?" Elizabeth stammered.

_"__It is a displeasing scenario, one that I wish to rectify. If the universe says she shouldn't be here, then it is my duty to remove her."_

_"__Could you not have just met her directly and gotten this all over with?"_

_"__She has the girl with her now. Logic states she is the best person to reunite a broken family."_

_"__And you're not?"_

Pause.

_"__Don't question my motives."_

* * *

"'Rectify'?" Kat asked. "What do they mean?"

"I was on a bathysphere…" Elizabeth explained. "Lamb launched a torpedo at me. The only way I could get out was to use my tear abilities. I wonder…was I meant to stay in that bathysphere and drown?"

"I suppose all our actions over the last few hours would have never happened," Tenenbaum commented. "I probably would have headed for the surface without you."

"Angus and I would still be alive, slowly living out our madness until we died at some point," Kat said slowly. "And Amber would just be another Little Sister, bound to her Big Daddy until she would die at the hands of a…_**AYYYYAAGH**_!"

The "AYYYAAGH" was caused by Kat getting a severe migraine, followed by a stream of blood pouring out of her nostrils. This was followed by Tenenbaum making a noise of obvious discomfort, but considerably less so than Kat. Unlike the Splicer, only a little blood trickled out of her nose.

"What…?" the doctor stammered, rubbing some of the blood away. "What's happening?"

Elizabeth couldn't answer. She was too busy staring at Kat. Static had formed in the air around her head, and she was screaming in an echoey voice odd phrases about life and death.

_Tear sickness._

Elizabeth swiftly moved over to Kat and put both hands on her shoulders. "Kat, can you hear me?"

_"__What did I do?"_ Kat shouted. _"Why is it so cold?! WHAT DID I DO?!"_

"What do you see?" Elizabeth asked.

_"__It's…it's dark. I think I'm on the floor…I have a headache."_

"What are you doing?" Tenenbaum asked.

"Just give me a minute," Elizabeth hissed.

_"__No…it's not a headache…it's a sharp pain. There's blood running down my face, getting into my eyes…"_

Suddenly, the Splicer grabbed at Elizabeth's hands, squeezing them so tightly Elizabeth let out a shout of pain.

_"__I SHOULD BE DEAD!"_ Kat screeched.

There was a click. Elizabeth looked up to see Tenenbaum aiming her pistol at the Splicer.

"Put it down, I can fix this!" Elizabeth shouted.

"She's a menace!" Tenenbaum shouted back. There was still a little blood coming out of her nose. Rational thought wasn't something the doctor was in a position to use.

Kat shoved Elizabeth to the ground and walked straight up to the doctor.

"Don't come closer," Tenenbaum warned.

Instead of responding, Kat grabbed at the barrel and brought it directly to her forehead. _"FINISH IT OFF!"_ she shouted.

Tenenbaum gritted her teeth, but hesitated to pull the trigger.

Elizabeth pushed herself off the ground. She needed to do something.

_She's trapped in a state of life and death. Two Kats in one place, both alive and dead. A Lutece field instability, otherwise called "tear sickness." Illnesses have cures. Something that might cure the instability, something that…_

"The chocolate."

Tenenbaum stared at her. "What?"

Not wasting another moment, Elizabeth grabbed a chocolate bar from her satchel, broke it in half, pulled Kat away from the gun, and shoved the candy into the Splicer's mouth.

"Chew, dammit!" Elizabeth shouted.

The Splicer made several hissing noises, but did as she was told. After a moment, the bleeding stopped and the static around her head vanished.

"Eugh," Kat groaned, rubbing her forehead. "What the hell just happened?"

"It's a phenomenon known as tear sickness," Elizabeth explained as she gave the slightly more sane Tenenbaum the rest of the chocolate. "When a timeline's changed, your mind needs to adapt. Usually it only happens for short periods of time directly afterwards. But sometimes, if you manage to remember the change, you get a little static in your head and a nose bleed."

"You call that a 'little'?!" Kat asked incredulously.

"It depends on how big the timeline change was. What happened to you, Brigid?"

"I saw the bathysphere get destroyed," Tenenbaum said slowly. "I called for you, but you didn't answer. After five minutes, I gave up and went into the bathysphere. And then I just…left."

"What about you?" Elizabeth asked, turning to Kat, who was feeling a spot on the back of her head.

"Angus and I…" she coughed. "We were in a hallway…some bastard got the drop on us. Angus fought him off, but I…" She trailed off, took her hand away from her hair, and rubbed her fingers together as if she was looking at an invisible spot of blood covering them.

Elizabeth remembered the Splicer she had ambushed after leaving the airlock, how he was armed with a pistol.

Kat stared at Elizabeth. "I _died_?"

"That explains why you were worse off with the tear sickness than Brigid," Elizabeth replied gravely. "In the other world you didn't just move on with your life. You actually…well, lost your life."

"The bathysphere jump was hours ago," Tenenbaum pointed out. "Why are we having the tear sickness now?"

"You're normal people who have been exposed to tears extensively in only a short period of time. Your minds are having trouble adapting for the change."

Kat looked at the empty chocolate wrapper. "Why chocolate, though?" she asked. "What's so special about this stuff?"

"Well, this chocolate originates from before the timeline was changed: 1954, when I originally bought it. I suspect its exposure to the tears turned it into a sort of anchor, keeping you grounded in one timeline rather than the other. Of two possibilities, one Kat alive and another one dead, only one turns out." She stifled a laugh. "I think that's what you'd call Schrö—"

"Don't make that joke."

* * *

The door opened with a loud screeching noise.

"What is this place?" Kat asked as they stepped into the dark room.

"It looks like an old boiler room," Tenenbaum replied. She pointed to the large pipes off to the side, pipes that connected to nothing. "The boilers have been gone for some time, however: probably taken for scrap metal." She paused. "Elizabeth, what is it?"

Elizabeth was looking around the room. There was something oddly familiar about it.

"I've been here…" she muttered.

She looked down. Sitting next to a pillar was a radio. Taking a deep breath, she bent down and turned it on.

_"__That certain night, the night we met…"_

Elizabeth looked up, startled. "_A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square_," she whispered.

They were standing in the room from her visions.

* * *

The radio turned to static, before clearing up for the voice of the associate.

_"__I once said that time is not a strict progression of cause-to-effect, but more a big ball of wibbley-wobbly, timey-wimey stuff."_

"No, she said that," Kat replied.

Elizabeth held up a hand, silencing the Splicer.

_"__Nonetheless, there are doors designed to open explicitly for one option in time."_

The voice morphed into that of Zachary Hale Comstock's. _"A door where Comstock was killed by Booker."_

Albert Fink. _"A door where an innocent gunsmith met his end."_

Daisy Fitzroy. _"A door where a young girl became a woman."_

"What is happening?" Kat asked nervously.

"Shush."

The associate continued in Andrew Ryan's voice, ignoring the Splicer. _"Events are not made to be affected by an anomaly."_

Cohen. _"Time is like art. If you use just one wrong brush-stroke, the entire piece is ruined."_

Lady Comstock. _"You were never supposed to come to Rapture. You only did it for revenge."_

Atlas. _"Now look at what's happened. Your meddling only got you killed. For what? Just a little girl?"_

Booker. _"I can't let you ruin a life by changing everything that's meant to be, Elizabeth."_

Finally, Elizabeth's voice. _"This has to end. Now."_

* * *

A tear opened up in the middle of the room, and out stepped a figure wearing a long trenchcoat, undoubtedly feminine, a large fedora upon her head. She stood with her face looking down at the ground, hiding her appearance with the wide brim of her hat.

"Hello, Elizabeth," she said.

Elizabeth laughed. "Still using my voice, are you? For what? Do you want to unsettle me?"

The associate took a few steps forward, the distinct clicking of her heels upon the floor echoing around the room.

"Believe me," she said, stopping directly in front of Elizabeth. "My voice is not going to be the most unsettling thing about this."

She raised her right hand. The radio began to play "The Masquerade Is Over" by the Cleftones.

But Elizabeth wasn't looking at the radio. She was looking at the thimble placed over the associate's pinky finger.

The associate turned her head upwards, her face now clearly visible. "Imagine what it must have been like for Comstock: the moment he met Booker in person, just seconds before his death."

_It was Elizabeth's face._


	20. Alternate

**I love cliffhangers.  
**

**I'm dropping the every Monday schedule. Exams are coming up, I really don't have time to update this regularly.**

**The good news is we're coming close to the end, so the story should be over by late June.**

* * *

As far as anyone could see, she was identical to Elizabeth.

The main difference was a noticeably cleaner appearance, plus the obvious wardrobe change. There was also something very odd: her veins had become brazenly dark, complemented by a bizarrely pale complexion, giving her an undeniably sickly appearance. Below her nostrils was a stream of dried blood, the result of which Elizabeth could only assume was tear sickness.

"Howdy," she said.

Elizabeth stared at the doppelganger, still taking this all in.

"So it's silence you're going for, isn't it? I can't say I blame you."

Elizabeth's eyes squinted.

"Still silent. Score one for maturity. Come now, child, don't expect—"

Elizabeth raised her hand and struck the doppelganger right across the face. The other Elizabeth blinked a few times, adjusted her jaw, and returned to her previous stance.

"If you want to prove you're not dreaming, hitting me won't solve anything," she mocked. "How about I hit you instead?"

She raised her palm, but was stopped by Elizabeth raising her hand cannon and aiming it directly at the bridge of her nose. "Don't you dare," the woman whispered.

"_Wer in der welt bist du_?" Tenenbaum asked.

"What?" Kat asked, looking at the German doctor with confusion.

The doppelganger shrugged, ignoring the Splicer. "Well, to put it simply…I'm her."

"She is NOT," Elizabeth snapped.

"Do you deny what's right in front of you? What your eyes see standing in this very room?"

"It wouldn't be the first time my eyes have failed me, that what I saw before me was a figment of my imagination. You can't be real."

"You keep telling yourself that, Elizabeth, it's not going to make it any more true."

"Well then answer me one question: if you are me, how did you get here? How can we be in the same universe?"

The doppelganger raised her hand. Elizabeth pulled down the hammer on her gun.

"At ease, DeWitt," the doppelganger said smoothly. "Rather than tell you, why don't I show you?"

She snapped her fingers.

* * *

**Several hours earlier**

_"__Then perhaps I can appeal to your pleasant side. You have seen the fall of Rapture. You can see its rebirth. The Rapture Family needs a prophet, and you…you fit the bill just fine."_

Elizabeth clenched her fists. "Let me tell you something about prophets," she growled. "They are lying bastards. They will do everything to protect their beliefs, even if it means harming others."

_"__You say that as if you know one. That's what I would call a 'bad example.' Now you…you could set an example. Can you see the future, Miss Comstock?"_

Elizabeth hesitated. "In a manner of speaking."

_"__So would you call yourself a 'lying bastard'?"_

Elizabeth paused. "Where are you going with this?" she asked, folding her arms.

_"__I don't know how your abilities work,"_ Lamb said. _"But you knew who I was, you knew about my plans…you even knew about the Jewish doctor's actions in the past few days. Do you believe in helping the greater good?"_

Elizabeth did not answer.

_"__Control, Miss Comstock, is essential for peace. You cannot leave a madhouse unguarded and expect everyone to come out completely sane: they need to have a figurehead. And a little manipulation is what a figurehead gives them."_

Elizabeth thought about this.

_"__I know you possess a sense of protectiveness towards the Little Sisters. If you help me, you can ensure their survival. You could save the whole city. All I need is your word."_

Elizabeth stared at the radio. "Alright, Lamb," she said, taking a deep breath. "You have my attention."

_"__I am glad to hear it. I am redirecting the bathysphere, and will meet you at—"_

"Wait a minute." Elizabeth looked out into the distance. She could see the Welcome Center dock, where Brigid Tenenbaum was waiting for her. She did not want the doctor coming after her.

"If you don't mind, Dr. Lamb, I would prefer you have this bathysphere destroyed."

Lamb paused. _"I—pardon?"_

"You have a torpedo aimed directly at this bathysphere, do you not?"

_"__I do."_

"Then fire it."

There was a long pause, then a slight click. _"Torpedo launched,"_ Lamb said_. "Hope for a miracle, Miss Comstock."_

Elizabeth stared at her hands. She knew what Lamb was capable of. And she also knew that "I'm more powerful than her," she muttered. "I can control what she'll do." She clasped her hands together, and pulled open a tear.

* * *

The next thing she knew, she was standing directly in front of two doors.

Before she could step forward, her radio crackled to life.

_"__You're playing your cards, I see,"_ Rosalind Lutece said. She had a distinct air of disapproval.

_"__This won't end well,"_ Robert added._ "Not for you, not for anyone."_

"I know what I'm doing," Elizabeth said quietly, pushing the doors open.

They opened up into a small office, with several television screens lining the walls. Sofia Lamb was standing at the center, staring at the screens pensively. Startled, she turned around to face Elizabeth.

"How did you…?" she stammered, pointing at one screen in particular, showing a torpedo headed straight toward the bathysphere.

"It doesn't matter. I've performed a miracle. What else can I do?"

Lamb crossed her arms. "You tell me." She glanced back at the screen. "Come to see the fireworks?"

Elizabeth stepped up to the screen. She watched as the torpedo slammed straight into the bathysphere, imploding it in a burst of canned oxygen.

"I can't imagine what Tenenbaum is thinking right now," Lamb shrugged, looking at Elizabeth. Elizabeth opened her mouth to respond, but she was immediately overcome by a heavy bout of nausea. Her hand placed on a nearby desk for support, she leaned to her side as blood trickled out of her nose.

Lamb stared at the phenomenon, bewildered. "What is…what is this?" she asked.

Elizabeth looked up. Lamb stepped back nervously. Elizabeth's head was surrounded by static, and her eyes had gone bloodshot.

"Are…do you require medical attention?" Lamb asked hesitantly.

Elizabeth ignored the question and pointed at the screen. "What is that?" she asked in a strange voice.

Floating near the wreckage of the bathysphere was a figure, clad in a diving suit.

"I thought you were alone on the bathysphere," Lamb said, staring at the screen.

Elizabeth's radio crackled to life. _"Do you know who that is, Elizabeth?"_ Rosalind Lutece asked.

Elizabeth growled. "Me."

Lamb looked at her. "What?"

Elizabeth grabbed at the woman's collar. "FIRE ANOTHER TORPEDO!" she shouted.

"At him?" Lamb asked, pointing at the screen.

"Not 'him'! That's another version of me! She will ruin everything you stand for if you keep her here!"

Lamb was shocked by the ferocity of Elizabeth's voice. "I can't fire at a target that small," she explained nervously.

_"__Killing her will solve nothing,"_ Robert Lutece warned. _"All it will do is collapse your state of quantum super-position."_

_"__Remember,"_ Rosalind added. _"When you die in a universe, you can't go back and exist as anything more than a normal human. The same applies for when there's two of you. A Schrödinger's Cat phenomenon, if you will."_

"So what, I let her live?" Elizabeth shouted into the radio.

"Who are you talking to?!" Lamb asked.

Elizabeth stared at Lamb. How could she not hear the Lutece Twins?

_"__Then again, letting her live means a sort of natural siphon,"_ Robert noted. _"Two Elizabeths, the tear ability split between them. Not unlike your previous situation as Comstock's captive."_

"Two halves equal a whole," Elizabeth observed. "Then I suppose I need to take hers."

* * *

**Present Day**

Elizabeth blinked. "What was that?"

"A tear vision," the doppelganger replied. "It's easy for us to go through a door, so why not go back?"

"We—I don't have that ability. I never did."

"I will get to that in a moment," the doppelganger growled. "You were never supposed to get out of that bathysphere. You could've met your end in a watery grave."

"I couldn't do that!" Elizabeth shouted. "Not after all the Lutece Twins did to bring me back to life!"

"Yes, their little rescue attempt," the doppelganger snorted, glancing at Tenenbaum. "Tell me: was it because they genuinely cared about our welfare, or because they felt guilty about putting us through all that mayhem?"

"Don't say 'us,' there is no 'us.' You're not me! You're not Elizabeth!"

The doppelganger started to laugh. "Cry to the heavens!" she cackled. "She doesn't see the truth!"

"Oh no, I see the truth plain and simple," Elizabeth replied. "And I stand by my answer."

"I don't understand," Kat piped up. "You saw it yourself: she splintered off from you. In my book, that's a reasonable explanation."

"Why don't you see her as you?" Tenenbaum asked.

"Because _I_ wouldn't align myself with someone like Sofia Lamb," Elizabeth said, adjusting the aim on her hand cannon. "Not when I know what she's capable of."

"Religious leaders are in our blood, Elizabeth," the doppelganger said smugly. "We're Comstocks, remember?"

"I am NOT Comstock!" Elizabeth shouted.

"Yet you take the name he gave you," the doppelganger replied. "Why?"

"Convenience?" Kat asked.

"Kat, not now. I kept the name 'Elizabeth' because I redeemed it," Elizabeth continued.

"When? When you killed that PI? When you smothered Booker in the stream? Or when you killed Fitzroy?"

"When I rescued Sally from Fontaine," Elizabeth said, though her confidence waivered.

"Well, so did I," the doppelganger shrugged. "Logic dictates I too can consider myself 'Elizabeth.'"

"You sided with a religious zealot, one who would kill to crush any resistance. That's not an Elizabeth action, that's a Comstock action."

The doppelganger's gaze darkened. "I could be _better_ than Comstock," she said through a clenched jaw. "I know what mistakes he made." She raised her fingers to her temples. "I see all the doors, Elizabeth. I could stop whatever madness Sofia Lamb pulls."

"You didn't bring me all this way to convert me to the Rapture Family," Elizabeth said.

Comstock smirked. "That remains to be seen. But you are correct that it wasn't the only reason."

* * *

_Elizabeth slowly lowered her hand. "Call it the 'mini-siphon,'" She explained. "It extracts Lutece Field particles from specific sources, like the very machines that keep this fair city afloat."_

_"__What, so this disables ships and such? Works for me: we can fight off Comstock's forces with it."_

_"__Oh, you poor soul, it does more than that. It can also extract the particles from a person endowed with the ability to control the Lutece Field, rendering them completely powerless. But here's the kicker: during early experiments, it was discovered it could do something else."_

_She looked at Darwin, then slammed the device into his head._

_He convulsed as streaks of white light pulsed through his body. After letting out a pained groan, he slumped to the ground, his skin a lightish-gray color._

* * *

Comstock raised her hand, revealing the Lutece device. "The funny thing about our fragmentation," she began. "Well, not funny, inconvenient—is that it split off our tear abilities between the two of us. Yes, we didn't have much to work with after our initial resurrection, but even as we healed, we were still at half capacity."

"Half capacity is irrelevant," Elizabeth replied. "You created tears that went back to certain memories. You had complete control over where you went, what you brought into the world…"

"All thanks to this," Comstock nodded, wiggling her fingers.

"But to do that, you'd need to…" Elizabeth trailed off.

The doppelganger blinked. "Yes?"

"What happened to Robert Lutece?"

Comstock let out a low chuckle.

Elizabeth's grip on her gun grew tighter. "Did you kill him?"

"Far from it," the doppelganger replied. "But if you find him, I'm afraid he won't quite be the smart-alec he once was. But even then, I can't regain my full tear abilities until my fragments become a whole. Now, if the problem were as easy as simply killing you, or even me, all this would be over. But then we're stuck in the same position as before: I can't exist both dead and alive as an immortal being. As soon as one of us dies, the other lives on, trapped as a normal human."

"So you did all this just so you could regain your immortality," Elizabeth surmised.

The doppelganger let out a disapproving grunt. "There was a little more to that, I'm afraid," she admitted. She pointed at Kat. "It had to do with her."

The Splicer squinted her eyes. "Me?"

"Well, not exactly…more your daughter, really. As soon as I retrieved the Lutece Field extractor, I wanted to finish you off and be done with this business. But then I saw your encounter with that the Little Sister. How you wanted to protect her, take her with you to the surface. With the knowledge that the Splicer was the girl's mother, I decided to create the right events so you would eventually ally yourselves."

"So it was you who sent me back to 1954."

"Correct."

"All to reunite a broken family?"

Comstock smiled slightly. "Does it bother you that I'm not heartless?"

"Then why kidnap the girl? You could have just reunited the two at the Delta Casino."

Comstock began to pace around the room, ignoring the gun trained on her, following her every step. "You must remember that I need to play my cards right, find the right allies. I _could_ have let the family reunite, but that would just leave me half the woman I used to be. And I needed Lamb's resources to ensure our current encounter. I made a deal with her, to kidnap the girl and provide you with help to rescue her."

"You made a deal for her to kidnap a Little Sister, a thing of worship for the Rapture Family, only for you to release the girl once this was over?"

Comstock shrugged. "That wasn't actually the deal, but you will learn more about that later. The actual deal was involved being as civil as possible." She paused. "Perhaps I could've even convinced you willingly to give over your powers."

Elizabeth scoffed. "How did you expect to do that?"

Comstock stopped pacing. "I believe in events playing out the way they should have," she said. "And you don't fit that bill. Kat's personal prison, where the events leading to her death were on a loop, was my way of convincing you."

Elizabeth swallowed. "I hate to break it to you, but I'm not convinced."

The doppelganger thought for a moment. "Did you not speak of your disillusion with immortality?" she asked, glancing at Tenenbaum. "You wanted to be human, did you not?"

This was the first thing Comstock had said that Elizabeth was starting to believe. She pondered on it for a moment.

But quantum superposition…that wasn't something she wanted to get into the wrong hands. And there was something off about her doppelganger. Maybe it was the sickly appearance, or how she acted like the Elizabeth who came to Rapture to kill Comstock (the other Comstock, that is) – forming alliances with bad people, all this to get a single task done.

"No," Elizabeth said firmly.

The doppelganger tilted her head. "No?"

"Remember why we came to Rapture in the first place? To kill Comstock, to rescue Sally, to set the events in motion that would bring Ryan's son to Rapture. At the same time, we also brought about the fall of Rapture."

"Fontaine was going to come to power anyway, it was only a question of when."

"Nonetheless, we allied ourselves with some terrible people, all in the name of getting a task done. You've lost sight of yourself, and I'm not going to let someone who does that continue."

"Well then, what are you going to do?" Comstock asked.

Elizabeth paused. Then she opened fire.


	21. Trap

**How to cure your writer's block on one fanfiction:**

**Write another fanfiction from a completely different franchise.**

* * *

"What the hell?"

With a simple contortion of her hand, the doppelganger had stopped all three bullets mid air, only inches away from her person.

"That was not a wise choice," she said.

After a moment, the bullets all clattered to the ground.

Kat coughed. "Are we going to fight an invincible enemy? Because I think I'd rather quit."

Elizabeth said nothing. She didn't even put her gun down. Now her entire focus was on her double.

"Tell me," Comstock said, pursing her lips. "Does the name 'Big Sister' mean anything to you?"

There was a slight rumble. Elizabeth felt a little blood drip out of her nose. But she didn't say anything.

"It's at the tip of your tongue," Comstock continued. "Let me jog your memory." She twisted her hand. A single bullet floated up into the air, spun around a few times, then zipped straight into Kat's leg. The Splicer let out a yelp. The force of the movement was so strong it pierced right through the suit's powerful armor.

Elizabeth started to feel odd. She could feel her blood running hot with anger. Her vision turned red.

"Provocation," Comstock replied, staring at her double.

With a blood-curling shriek, signifying her protector form, Elizabeth hurled herself at her doppelganger, the latter barely having time to brace for impact as the two were thrown through the air, bouncing across the concrete floor, before finally coming to a halt, both of them sprawled a few feet from each other.

It was the Big Sister who recovered first. **"All threats must be eliminated!"** she said robotically.

"Elizabeth?" Tenenbaum called out nervously.

Elizabeth jerked her head toward her two companions, who were staring at the scene with a mix of shock and horror.

"You're doing the scary thing again!" Kat added.

Tenenbaum looked at the former Splicer. "_Again_?"

A part of her wanted to stop what she was doing, to prevent them from seeing her in this state. But the other...no, the other was hell-bent on killing the doppelganger. The former had the sense to put on her helmet, blocking her face from the observers' sight.

But by the time she looked back, Comstock had gotten back on her feet.

"Make it a challenge, DeWitt!" she called out. "Why don't I give you one?!" She flung a hand in the air, and a tear opened up between the two. Something stepped out with a loud clang.

_"__My aim is true for my eyes are the prophet's…"_

* * *

Elizabeth threw herself through the air, narrowly avoiding the Motorized Patriot's hail of bullets. The mechanical man stopped its attack, turned around and aimed the gun at Kat and Tenenbaum.

"Out of the way!"

_"__Scheiße!"_

The two made a run for it in opposite directions, a spray of bullets covering the spot where they had once stood. Elizabeth leapt onto the patriot's arms, re-aiming the still-firing bullets at the ceiling.

"I think it will please you to know you and your friends will survive this, Elizabeth," Comstock said frankly. "I'm quite positive of that fact. But I think you're better off having some time to think." She raised a hand. "We _will_ talk again, and this time I won't be nearly as civil." And with a snap of a finger, she was gone.

The motorized patriots ran on gears, each one working like a signal from the brain. If she could tear out the right gear, it would kill the patriot.

_"__The innocent have nothing to hide."_

Elizabeth, on a hunch, tore out a single gear.

The Patriot slumped to the left and began turning in a circle, opening fire as it did so.

"NOT GOOD!" Kat screamed from somewhere.

By now the Patriot had figured out where Elizabeth had gone, and with a mighty jerk sent her sprawling through the air. Turning around once more, it adjusted its gun and opened fire. Rather than run away, Elizabeth ran _at_ the Patriot, taking multiple hits to her person while doing so. She could feel the bullets hitting her armor, but right now her focus was simple: eliminate the threat, and it would all be over.

With another jump, she swung through the air and landed on the Patriot's shoulders. From here she could see Tenenbaum and Kat were trying futilely to get out enough shots from behind a concrete pillar to kill the Patriot. A pistol, as far as Elizabeth knew, was not enough to kill an automaton efficiently.

She swung out her shotgun. This was much more effective.

Arming it, she aimed the barrel at the Patriot's head, and fired.

There was a burst of flames and Elizabeth was thrown to the ground. The headless Patriot stood still for a moment.

"LOOK OUT!" Kat shouted, forgetting the fight match she had gotten herself into.

Elizabeth looked up to see the Patriot was beginning to fall in her direction. She rolled to the side, barely avoiding the impact as the mechanical man hit the ground.

Shocked by her survival, she lay there for a moment in disbelief. She could feel the ADAM in her blood cooling down as her protector form retreated to the back of her mind.

"Elizabeth?"

She looked up. Kat and Tenenbaum were standing above her, concerned.

"Are you alright?" Tenenbaum asked.

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "A little scorched," she admitted as she got up.

Kat walked over to the Patriot. "What is this thing?" she asked.

"Motorized Patriot," Elizabeth replied. "My floating city, Columbia...these were among their soldiers."

"You know, this floating city of yours is starting to sound a lot like Rapture," Kat mused. She picked up the Peppermill gun. "Look at me, I'm an Italian waiter."

"Where did she go?" Tenenbaum asked, pointing to where the doppelganger had once stood.

"Someplace else," Elizabeth said. She paused, looking at the ground. There were drops of blood right in front of her double's footprints.

"What is it?"

"Nosebleeds..." Elizabeth said slowly. "Tear sickness."

"She's a trans-dimensional being," Kat said. "How can she get tear sickness?"

Elizabeth thought about Robert Lutece: what the doppelganger had done in a bid to gain his tear powers.

"It's like accepting blood donations from someone with a BBV," she said. "Blood is blood, but if it comes with an incompatible factor, you're not going to feel well."

"Meaning?"

"She wanted to gain full tear ability, so she took Robert Lutece's. But the circumstances of his superposition were different from mine. Her body is incompatible with his tear powers, and it's killing her from the inside out. Mentally and physically." Elizabeth tasted the blood.

She grimaced slightly, but there was something familiar about it.

"Chocolate?"

"Pardon?"

Elizabeth wiped her fingers off. "It's...nothing," she said.

The radio crackled to life. _"I must say,"_ said the disappointed voice of Sofia Lamb. _"I thought you were going to accept her generous offer."_

"I do _not_ want to deal with that...thing again," Elizabeth said firmly.

_"You two have much in common,"_ Lamb mused. _"It seemed surefire you would agree with everything she said."_

"She is _not_ me."

_"I have two eyes that would say otherwise."_

"Lamb, she told you I would ruin everything you stand for, correct?"

_"She did."_

"Well then logic states you don't want me to remain in Rapture. Killing me seems to be a drastic solution to a minor problem."

Lamb paused. _"What are you asking?"_

"Give us the Little Sister. I will leave Rapture with my friends, and you will never have to be concerned with me again."

_"Little Sisters are what my philosophy relies on. Besides, your other half claimed she would deal with you efficiently."_

"Does my other half have any objections?"

Pause. _"Admittedly, I do not know where she is. She severed all communications with me."_

"Why?"

_"We had a deal. It has been fulfilled."_

"Well then...perhaps you and I can make a new deal?"

Another pause, this one much, much longer.

_"The Splicer's daughter is in Persephone, with me. There's a bathysphere docked nearby that will take you directly there. But that's as far as my help goes: I am **not** going to make this easy for you. But if __you can retrieve her, you will be free to leave Rapture when you so desire. Unless of course, a lone Splicer decides to kill you."_

"Thank you."

_"Don't thank me yet."_ The communications cut off.

"You actually made a deal with her?" Kat asked, completely stupefied.

Elizabeth felt her hand cannon for a moment. "I need to play my cards right...find the right allies."

Tenenbaum frowned. "Is that not what the doppelganger said?"

Elizabeth ignored the query. "We need to get down to Persephone."

"That's gonna be a problem."

Elizabeth looked at Kat. "What do you mean?"

The former Splicer sighed. Finally, she pointed down at her leg, specifically the bullet hole the doppelganger had left.

"Yikes," Elizabeth said, kneeling down to look at the injury.

Upon closer inspection, she could see the bullet was still wedged inside Kat's flesh.

"How are you not screaming in pain?" she asked, looking up at the former Splicer.

"I've still got a little ADAM in my bloodstream," Kat explained. "Minor painkiller and antibiotic, also stops it from bleeding. But if I don't get this treated, things are not going to go well."

Elizabeth reached into her satchel and handed Kat a health needle. "Will this help?"

Kat took a deep breath. "Please, keep it away from me."

"The health needle will do little good," Tenenbaum added. "The bullet's still wedged in there. It needs to be removed before applying any sort of treatment, else _Fräulein_ De Winter will die of infection. Worst case, I may have to cut off her leg."

"Do we have any medical supplies?"

"I left my kit at the Welcome Center," Tenenbaum replied, shaking her head. "It would take too much time to bring her there, treat the wounds, and come back."

"Time we don't have," Kat agreed. She took a deep breath. "I can't go down there with you, Elizabeth."

"Kat, your daughter..."

"I told you before, I've been without her for over a year. I can wait a little longer."

"Elizabeth, I will see to her safety," Tenenbaum added.

Elizabeth sighed. "I guess it all falls to me, then."

Tenenbaum cleared her throat. "There is one other thing."

"What?"

"Elizabeth, are you feeling alright?"

"No worse than usual."

"She means the protector form," Kat said.

"What gives? I've been doing that all day, ever since I bonded with Amber. You two share DNA, so you getting harmed affects me, too."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Tenenbaum said loudly.

Kat and Elizabeth looked at her, surprised by the sudden outburst.

"Elizabeth, when you got angry, your skin turned a different shade, your eyes went to a bright red, and you screamed like a devil."

"And?"

"We did experiments on the Big Daddies before we put their suits on. Elizabeth...you looked like an armor-less Big Daddy in protector form."

Elizabeth's eyes widened. "But...that's impossible. I mean..I'm not mute, I don't make loud groaning noises..."

"Those were a result of Big Daddy conditioning," Tenenbaum explained. "If we hadn't altered their minds, they would have shown too much independence. You have had no such conditioning."

"Not to mention your height and strength gain over the last few hours?" Kat added.

Elizabeth breathed in a few times. "I can't deal with this now."

"Elizabeth_—_"

"Kat, I need to deal with your daughter, and quite possibly Comstock. I can't worry about how I look without a helmet."

"This isn't about aesthetics, Elizabeth, something is very wrong here_—"_

"I'm _**fine**,_" Elizabeth growled.

Kat and Tenenbaum stared at her.

"I mean...I'm fine. Really."

* * *

"She was telling the truth," Tenenbaum said, stepping back from the console. "It is programmed to bring you straight to the dock at Persephone."

Elizabeth smirked. "I was worried she was going to pull a fast one and try to bring me to New York."

"...what?"

"Never mind."

Elizabeth stepped into the bathysphere. "Well," she commented. "I guess this is it for now."

"One more thing."

Tenenbaum reached into her bag and handed Elizabeth a blue bottle.

"Drinkable EVE?" Elizabeth asked. "How_—"_

"I found it while I was on my way here," Tenenbaum explained. "I wish I could give you more, but this was it."

Elizabeth popped open the cap and downed the entire bottle. She felt the long-dormant drinkable plasmids power up.

"Thanks," she said, wiggling her fingers.

Tenenbaum bowed slightly, then stepped out of the bathysphere. "Good luck."

"See you soon," Kat piped up. "Hopefully."

"Hey, don't worry, you two will be fine," Elizabeth said. She pulled down the lever.

As the bathysphere doors closed, she heard Kat say one last thing:

"It's not us I'm worried about."

* * *

Elizabeth sat on the bench. The cabin light had a faulty circuit and had been blinking for most of the ride. It made her feel a bit nauseous.

The radio came to life. _"Did you miss me?"_ came the voice of the doppelganger.

"What is wrong with you?" Elizabeth asked.

_"I suppose I'm just insane."_

"Let me rephrase that. What is the condition of your current state of health?"

There was silence.

_"Your next hour of life is not going to be remotely enjoyable." _The signal went out.

Elizabeth smirked. "Well," she muttered. "That was a short conversation."

She stood up and looked out the window. Passing a rock overhang, the bathysphere turned to reveal the lights of the Persephone Correctional Facility.

Lamb had hid Amber somewhere in the facility. A facility overrun by Splicers. Not unlike Fontaine's before the Civil War. But Lamb's influence had brought a sense of order to the prison. One Elizabeth suspected was now mobilized to make her life very, _very_ difficult.

She pressed a button on her radio. "Kat?"

_"Yes, Elizabeth?"_

"Do you ever stop and think there must have been a moment at the beginning where you could have said 'no'?"

_"'No' to what?"_

"To this: Rapture, Chelsea, Angus, even Amber..."

_"All the time, Elizabeth."_

"Then what?"

Kat thought for a moment.

_"Well, then I realize it's too late now."_


	22. The Unexpected Discovery

**BioShock 2 should've been canon.**

* * *

The bathysphere broke the surface of the water.

"I've arrived," Elizabeth said into her radio.

_"__Good,"_ Tenenbaum replied. _"I was worried something would go wrong."_

Elizabeth stood in front of the door, prepared to leave.

This went on for about ten seconds.

"You might have jinxed it, Brigid."

_"__What happened?"_

Elizabeth banged her fist against the glass a few times. "The door's not working."

_"__Ah. Look on the floor: there's a panel underneath that you can use to force the door open without breaking the glass."_

"Wait, what's wrong with breaking the glass?"

_"__Then you can't come back the way you came."_

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "Point taken." She knelt down and pulled open a panel. Underneath was a metal cover which, when removed, revealed a series of switches.

Before Elizabeth had a chance to look at them, she heard a loud screech coming from outside the bathysphere.

"I've got company," she said into the radio.

_"__With haste, Elizabeth."_

_"__Don't rush her, doc, it's only going to make her stressed."_

Elizabeth guided her fingers over the switches. But before she could touch any of them, there was a loud clang, and the bathysphere shuddered.

"Ah, hell," Elizabeth muttered as the bathysphere suddenly lurched to the side, sending her flying.

**_"__CRACK THE SHELL!"_**

**_"__EAT THE NUTS!"_**

"I'm not wasting my time on this!" Elizabeth shouted into the radio as she put her helmet back on.

_"__But—"_

"Incoming!"

With a mighty kick, she flung herself off the back of the bathysphere and straight through the glass, shattering it as she tumbled out onto the dock. The two Splicers looked at her, surprised.

Elizabeth leapt through the air, raised her shotgun, and managed to get a blast straight into the chest of one Splicer. The other, startled, tried to run away, but was quickly stopped by an ADAM needle going right through his neck.

Elizabeth slid the Splicer off her needle before landing back on the dock. "Rapture Family, I'm sure," she said, ejecting the empty shell from her shotgun.

The radio crackled. _"Tell me you didn't just ruin your chance of getting back,"_ Kat said, sounding very annoyed.

Elizabeth looked at the broken glass that made up what was left of the door to the bathysphere. "I did," she said.

_"__Dammit, Elizabeth!"_

"Yeah, it's toast," Elizabeth said. She put away her shotgun. "Shit, I didn't think this through."

_"__You think?"_

_"__Enough with the sarcasm, _Fräulein _De Winter. Is there anything down there you can use to come back?"_

Elizabeth looked around. "This place is a wreck," she said. "I don't think—"

Her train of thought was interrupted by a loud scream.

_"…__was that a Splicer?"_ Tenenbaum asked.

_"__If it was, it's not one who's been taking ADAM,"_ Kat replied. _"That sounded human."_

"Human getting eaten by a Splicer?"

Another scream.

_"__I resent the implication you just made about our diet. If I were you, I would investigate."_

* * *

The scream was definitely rooted in insanity. But Splicer screams came from their awareness of their situation: a former human, reduced to an insane being that craved ADAM. Whoever was screaming now seemed to be screaming aimlessly.

"What are the odds of a human surviving the fall of Rapture?" Elizabeth asked.

_"__Well, as far as we know, there's the doctor here, plus Sofia Lamb, so…I'd say that's a two-to-several thousand chance? So not that good."_

_"__There are certainly a few still out there,"_ Tenenbaum agreed. _"But I find it highly doubtful you would find any in Persephone."_

Elizabeth emerged in a corridor of sealed doors, each one with a small slit for a guard or visitor to peek through. The screams were coming from right behind one of them.

"It's great to be me," Elizabeth muttered sarcastically. Taking a deep breath, she looked through the opening.

Immediately, she grabbed for the handle and forced the door open.

Standing in the middle of the room, chained by the ankle, was the still-screaming Robert Lutece.

* * *

Rosalind pursed her lips. "There you are," she muttered to herself.

* * *

Robert, sensing another presence in the room, stopped screaming and turned to look at Elizabeth.

"You're lucky…" he whispered, pointing a single finger at Elizabeth. His voice echoed, as if he were speaking through a tube. "Looks like you get another chance."

Elizabeth stared at the male Lutece twin. She could not believe her eyes, seeing someone who had helped her so much now stuck in a complete state of mortality.

"So this is what she did to you," she commented. "Sucked the good stuff out and left the memories in the host."

_"__Elizabeth, who are you talking to?"_

"I'm going to have to call you back."

_"__What?"_

"This is important."

_"__So is—"_

Elizabeth switched off her radio.

"Something's…different," Robert commented, tilting his head to the side in a quizzical manner. "You…you are not the same."

Elizabeth put two hands around his head, aiming his face directly at hers. "Do you know where she went?"

Robert made several clicking noises with his tongue. "She will not last. It will end for her soon." He blinked. "You have other things to do."

Elizabeth bit her lip. "Amber…do you know where she is?"

Robert nodded his head. "She waits for you with the lamb."

"Sofia Lamb?"

Robert blinked again. Some blood began to drip out of his nose. "No…the younger one…"

Elizabeth thought back. "Eleanor," she said finally.

Robert raised a finger and pressed it against Elizabeth's nose, subtly pushing her away. "One and the same." He suddenly became very distracted by the blood coming out of his nose.

Elizabeth grabbed his shoulders and shook him. "Where is she?!"

Robert stared at her. "I will show you." He reached down and began fiddling with the cuff around his leg.

Elizabeth bent down to help. It was a simple lock, much less complex than the doors she was always working with.

Elizabeth looked at her ADAM needle. It wasn't exactly ideal, but it would have to do. She gently inserted it into the lock and began moving it around, hoping to hit a tumbler.

There was a loud clang. Startled, Elizabeth jolted the needle, incidentally unlocking the cuff but also causing her to hit Dr. Lutece right in the side.

"Sorry!" Elizabeth whispered.

The Lutece Brother didn't answer. Instead, he pointed towards the front of the cell.

Looking up, Elizabeth saw the door had slammed shut, seemingly by itself.

No…something was standing right outside the door, peering in. But it was too dark outside to make out much more than the eyes.

A set of blue irides…could it be?

There was a distinct _click_. Elizabeth didn't need to try the door to know what it meant.

She looked at the lock. No…there was no way for her to pick it from this end.

The woman behind the door looked at Elizabeth again. Then, with some hesitance, there was another _click_, and the figure vanished into the darkness.

Elizabeth waited a moment before trying the door. It slid open, apparently unlocked.

"Straightforward," Elizabeth muttered.

She looked out into the hallway. No one in sight. Shrugging, she turned on her radio.

"Brigid? Kat?"

_"__Oh, thank god. I thought you'd died or something."_

_"__Elizabeth, it is at the very least unwise to sever our communications."_

_"__That's an awfully calm response, doc."_

There was a brief pause.

_"Fräulein, do you want me to communicate or do you want me to speak in the American colloquial?"  
_

"Look, I'm sorry," Elizabeth said. "I've found someone who can help me get to the Little Sister."

_"__Who?"_

"Well, I guess you could call him an old friend." She hesitated. "I trust him. I'll have your daughter back soon enough."

_"Yeah, well, if you haven't noticed, you don't exactly have a way of getting back."_

_"Not necessarily. That diving suit you're wearing. Unless Lamb made some drastic alterations, it would probably be able to withstand a quick change in pressure without killing the host. You'd need something that induces thrust, like a small engine or…an oxygen tank, maybe."_

"The logistics behind that sound kind of dicey."

_"Yeah. I mean, I'm no scientist, but I gotta 'gree with her there."_

"Besides, that leaves Amber exposed."

_"Hmm, well, not necessarily. The ADAM in her system would prevent her bloodstream from boiling due to the pressure change. But yes, it is not an ideal plan."_

Elizabeth bit her lip as she began following Lutece. "Keep thinking. We've gone too far to rethink everything and start all over."

_Hah. If I didn't have a double to worry about, I could do just that._


	23. Bird

**Author's Note: I'm back! Several months later.**

**I know I said it a while back, but I _am_ winding down on _Buried Alive_. There are about 4 more chapters left as it stands, I should be finished by the holidays. But I want to thank all of you who have been following the story from the start for your patience! And those of who you are just joining or have only been following for a few months, drop a review! Feedback really helps!.**

* * *

The entrance into Lamb's compound, located in Outer Persephone, was blocked by a sealed door.

"This is what she meant by not making things easy for me?" Elizabeth muttered. She looked over at the control panel: a key card system for prison officials.

_"__Just punch it,"_ Kat said passively. _"Maybe it'll short-circuit the door."_

_"__It would also set off an alarm,"_ Tenenbaum said sternly. _"And that would notify any nearby Splicers to your presence."_

"What do you propose?"

_"__There's a guard station a few meters behind you. Whoever's in there might have the access card."_

Elizabeth looked back. Sure enough, not far away was a guard station, with a Brute Splicer standing guard.

"Follow me," she whispered to Robert Lutece. Remaining crouched low, she move cautiously down the hallway until she was right next to the doorway.

_"__Don't use any weapons,"_ Tenenbaum warned. _"You don't want any of his friends finding out you're here."_

Elizabeth cautiously looked through the threshold. The Splicer, thankfully, had his back turned. Elizabeth bit her lip, prayed to no higher deity in particular, then jumped forward and grabbed the Splicer from behind, holding her arm over his neck. She let it struggle for a moment before tightening her hold, releasing him when his neck made a quiet _snap_.

Satisfied, Elizabeth raised her ADAM needle and stabbed it into the Splicer's chest, taking in the substance like a Little Sister gathering. At this moment Robert Lutece made the decision to enter the room. He looked down at Elizabeth, startled.

Elizabeth looked up. "It's every man for himself," she said, pulling the needle out.

"A favorite philosophy of one Andrew Ryan," Lutece replied.

Elizabeth, considering this, looked down at the dead Splicer.

_"__Well, he's not wrong,"_ Kat muttered.

"That's the thing about philosophies in general," Elizabeth said, rummaging through the Splicer's pockets. "They all sound good, it's a question of how they are implemented. In the end, how well they work is up to those who take…" the trailed off, thinking about what her doppelganger said. "…the initiative."

Shaking it off, she finally found the access card. But as she got up to leave, she spotted something underneath a nearby table. Puzzled, she walked over and picked it up.

It was an audio diary, and it was from only a few hours before.

* * *

An apparent conversation between the doppelganger and Rosalind Lutece.

_"__Massive hemorrhaging,"_ Dr. Lutece commented. _"It's interesting how the Lutece field affects the cranium to those who overuse it."_

_"__Why is this happening?"_

_"__Your tear jump from the bathysphere to Lamb was your first mistake: too early on in your healing process, it caused a bit of damage. Your second mistake was going over to Columbia and back with the extractor: still to early, using too much energy to target a specific location in another dimension at a specific time. But the grand finale was your little show of force with my dear brother."_

_"__What do you mean?"_

_"__I think you'll find his tear powers are incompatible with yours. You merely had a body part severed by a Lutece Field: he and I were literally incinerated by one. Overexposure, constant phasing…you're a ticking time-bomb, Comstock, and no matter what you try, sooner or later you are going to blow."_

_"__How do I cure it?"_

Rosalind laughed. _"Even if you managed to convince your other half to give you her share of power, Robert's still in there. He'll crawl out in a manner most foul."_

_"__Then what the hell do I do?"_

_"__You really want my opinion?"_

_"__I do."_

_"__Nothing. You're just going to stick around until you waste away. And all of this will be for zip."_

_"__Come on, Lutece. Where's the scientist who looked into a mirror and saw another world?"_

_"__You left her behind the moment you destroyed that other world."_

* * *

Elizabeth stared at the audio diary. "She's doomed," she said as she placed it on the guard's desk. "She's been doomed since the moment she left that bathysphere."

_"__That audio diary's recent, before that little business with the clockwork man."_

_"__She's known this the whole time, yet she continues. Why? There has to be—LOOK OUT!"_

Elizabeth, out of instinct, turned around. But she quickly realized her error when she heard gunshots sounding off from the radio.

_"__Looks like we've got a Houdini splicer on our hands,"_ Kat said. _"This is gonna take the two of us. Can you hold your own for now?"_

"I think I have to."

_"__Good girl. Call us when you need us. Hey, doc! Shotgun!"_

Elizabeth looked at Robert Lutece, who was dragging his hand over a large map on the wall. "What are you up to?"

He didn't respond. Instead, he picked up a pencil from the desk and stroked the tip across the surface of the map.

Elizabeth took a closer look. At first they seemed to be just random lines across the paper. But as Robert continued, she realized he was working to create a full image, the extent of which was hidden by his steady hand continuing with the random strokes.

Finally, he stepped back, apparently to observe his creation, in turn allowing Elizabeth to have a look.

She figured it would have been easier to just draw a bird rather than a series of lines that made up a bird. Or rather, the exact same bird that adorned her pendant.

"That's pretty neat," she said, not sure of what else to say. "Any clue as to why this is significant?"

Robert merely looked at her, held up a hand, and bit his thumb.

"I…didn't think so." She raised her hand and guided her fingers over the map. "There's an airlock back near the cages," she said. "Right next to the waste management area. I can get out through there."

"Are you sure about that?" Robert asked abruptly.

Elizabeth stared at him. "Why shouldn't I be?"

Silence.

"You're not going to answer any of my questions, are you?"

Silence.

"Enigmatic as always. Typical."

She gently placed a finger on the section labeled "NURSERY." "I've got a good bet Amber's in there. We just need to find her."

But the Lutece brother was not done. He pressed the tip of the pencil against the image once more and drew a long line, punctuating it with two more marks, forming an arrow, pointing at the words "QUARANTINE."

Elizabeth stared at the arrow. "Quarantine…quarantine…what the hell's in quarantine?"

* * *

_"__Father, come quickly, I'm trapped in a cage…something's wrong…"_

_"__I wonder, Delta, do you know why you are here? Have you any idea what my daughter has given you?"_

_"__That's her, son! Eleanor Lamb. No matter what you might be feelin' right now – this is business. Get that cage open! She's comin' with us!"_

_"__How will she remember us, after this moment? I have placed my pieces on the board, as expected – as have you. Is this what she hoped for? Mother and Father, locking eyes…yet still we are blind."_

_"__Hurry, now! Quarantine chamber's waitin' on you! Get in there!"_

_"__Look at her, Delta. Ten years, and still she dreams of you. Do you know why Eleanor brought you here? She wanted a Father. So she found a way to restore you in body and mind. And she has been watching you ever since. Exulting your every act of gospel. The girl lying on that bed is no longer my child, nor my life's work. She is a monster, shaped by you alone. Just as she has always wanted. But there is one detail of your mutual bond she failed to account for. Your body was designed to lapse into a coma when her heart ceases to beat. Eleanor…forgive me."_

* * *

Elizabeth immediately pressed her palm against her forehead, gently massaging the severe pain that had formed between her eyebrows.

The experience was far from enjoyable. But it was enlightening. Lamb had a Little Sister nursery readily available to her. But Amber was special. Lamb would have to keep her separated from the other Little Sisters, but she couldn't just look after her: she had too much to do. She needed a babysitter.

Leave the girl with a splicer? That would never end well. But what about another––?

* * *

Elizabeth slid the card into the slot. As the door hummed and began to cycle, she nervously ran her thumbs across her knuckles.

She wondered how events would have gone if she had stayed in that bathysphere. Amber would be roaming around with a Big Daddy, Tenenbaum would return to the surface alone, and Kat…well, Kat would have died.

She turned to look at Robert Lutece. "Stay safe," she said as she put her helmet on. "I'll be back."

"Dies, died, will die," Robert replied.

Elizabeth swallowed. That was not a statement she'd wanted to hear again.

The door opened. Taking a deep breath, she stepped through it into a dark hallway.

Before she had a chance to get a good look at her surroundings, it slammed shut behind her.

"Brigid, I'm close to Lamb's compound," she spoke into her radio. "I think I'm in the final legs of this. Maybe—"

She paused. "Brigid?"

No one responded. All she could hear was static.

"Kat?"

Nothing. Something was jamming her signal.

Elizabeth shut her eyes for a moment in thought. With the radio not working, and Robert Lutece mucking about outside, she was completely on her own.

The loudspeaker sounded off. _"Hello again, Miss Comstock."_

"Dr. Lamb," Elizabeth replied with some degree of cordiality. "What happened to the part about you not making this easy for me?"

_"__I take it you like a good challenge?"_

"What I like is finishing deeds," Elizabeth replied. Figuring this conversation could drag for some time, she began following the direction that map had shown her. "As long as the girl gets out alive with her mother, my work here is done."

The Rapture Family matriarch was silent. But only for a moment. _"Have you ever read Aristotle's _Poetics_?"_

Elizabeth could recall reading the book during her time locked in the tower. "I have."

_"__He believed in the concept of 'action,' or rather 'praxis,' an intense, psychological need that drives a person."_

"Your point being?"

_"__What is your praxis, Elizabeth?"_

The woman in the diving suit stopped to look at a large sign that read 'QUARANTINE AREA.' "You know the answer, Lamb. I need to reunite that family."

_"__Because you want a happy ending for a tragedy that befell some poor Rapture citizen?"_

"No," Elizabeth said firmly. "Because I owe her mother. Big time."

Lamb made a disapproving _tsk_-sound. _"A sense of loyalty. A noble quality…and could easily be your downfall."_

* * *

Elizabeth stepped into the atrium. Across the room sat a glass structure: quarantine. The inner walls were lined with red curtains: Eleanor Lamb's bedroom. And, in the distant future, her prison.

Eleanor herself, however, was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps she was hiding in a curtain or something.

Elizabeth took a step forward. As if on cue, the door slammed shut behind her.

"Charming," she muttered.

She took another step forward. As if on cue, the lights shut off.

"Alright," she breathed. "Considerably…less charming."


	24. Eleanor Lamb

**So, over the past month (on top of the school-related workload) I've been continuing a new fanfiction I'm working on, and I've also started another one.  
**

**It was upon starting the new one that I realized I really shouldn't juggle three fanfics at once. So I decided it was finally time to sit down and finish _Buried Alive_. So, sit tight. The story will be over soon!**

* * *

"She's still not responding," Kat said, putting down the radio once more. "Lamb must be scrambling the frequency."

After their little fiasco with the Houdini Splicer, the two had finally made their way to the entrance to the Welcome Center. Only the door to the interior was locked, so Tenenbaum was trying to fix by overriding a panel in the floor.

"Keep your thoughts positive," she assured Kat. "Knowing Elizabeth, she will make it out of anything."

The Splicer put her hands on her hips. "Why do you have so much faith in her?"

"Are you saying you don't?"

"Far from it, I'd trust her to the ends of the earth. But that's only because I've gotten the chance to know her. As far as you know, she was just a voice on a radio until recently."

Brigid stopped fiddling with the wires and looked up. "Has she told you about Sally?"

Kat thought about it. "Not really. I mean, sure, she's mentioned the name. But she never elaborated."

"After Fontaine's orphanage shut down and I went into hiding, many of the Rapture children were forced to live on the streets. Sally was one such little girl, taken in by a local detective. DeWitt, I believe."

"DeWitt, huh? I heard plenty of tales about him. Kinda just showed up in the city one day and never left."

"Elizabeth had unfinished business with DeWitt, business worth killing him for. She made several bad decisions in her plan for vengeance, the least of which was using Sally as bait."

"Bait?"

"She had her turned into a Little Sister."

Kat stared at Tenenbaum, stunned. "How the hell did that make you of all people trust her?"

"I'm not finished. The entire scheme left her wracked with guilt. When Sally was kidnapped by Fontaine for his soldiers' consumption, Elizabeth did all she could to protect the little one. She made the most noble sacrifice, all to ensure Fontaine would not harm the child."

"What was the sacrifice?"

Tenenbaum paused. This would take days to explain. It was time they did not really have. With no alternative, she returned to fiddling with the circuits.

Kat looked down at Tenenbaum, waiting for a response. Hearing none, she finally said, mostly to herself, "She's a good person. Not like some of us in this hell-hole."

Brigid smiled. "The path of the righteous is not always easy."

Kat shrugged. Then she began uncomfortably rubbing her leg.

"You alright?"

"Yeah, bullet's just…bothering me."

"Well, you will not have to worry about it any longer." She shut the panel. "The door should work now."

The door slid open…and the barrel of a shotgun greeted the two women.

"Hands up."

"Well," Kat muttered. "Clearly the path to the Welcome Center clearly is not always easy, either." Then she recognized the person aiming the shotgun. "Chel?"

* * *

The only light to be seen was that of the quarantine. With a shrug, Elizabeth took a few more steps forward.

A single bulb, directly above her, switched on. Besides this and the lights from the glass box, the entire room was completely dark.

A curtain was pushed aside in the quarantine, and there stood Sofia Lamb in the flesh.

"So," Elizabeth commented. "Here we go again. I like to look a woman in the face when faced in tense situations."

_"__In my situation, I can't see your face,"_ Lamb said coldly_. "Do you have something to hide, Miss Comstock?"_

Elizabeth scoffed. "I know better than to leave myself exposed."

_"__Forgive me if our current rendezvous ends up less pleasant than the last,"_ Lamb mused._ "I can no longer provide help in case your life is in danger. Well, if it is alright with you, there are some…matters that need to be discussed."_

"Negotiations?" Elizabeth asked.

_"__I suppose."_

"Well then—if it's alright with_ you_, perhaps I should take the floor. Where's the girl?"

Lamb blinked a few times. _"Very well. Come here, little one."_

Elizabeth could hear some tiny footsteps. Lamb shifted slightly, bent down, then picked up the very girl Elizabeth had been looking for.

_"__Lizzy?"_ Amber exclaimed. _"Is that really you?"_

_"__I agree, little girl. Is it you, Miss Comstock?"_

Elizabeth took a deep breath, then removed her hair, showing her face to those inside the quarantine.

The Little Sister started waving. _"Hi!"_

Elizabeth couldn't help but feel her heart melt. But this was a hostage situation. "Did they hurt you?"

_"__They gave me crayons and paper and a friend!"_ Amber replied. _"Eleanor, look! It's Big Sister, just like I told you! You always said there was only daddy!"_

Another figure popped up, the window sill slightly obscuring her face. But it didn't take a very hard look for Elizabeth to know who it was. _"You said she was scary and strong! She just looks pretty!"_

_"__Eleanor!"_ Lamb barked sternly._ "Sit down!"_

There was some timid whimpering.

_"__If you don't mind, Miss Comstock, I now have the floor. I'm not going to just hand over the girl to you."_

"You've made that point clear several times already. What you've never told me is why."

_"__To understand, I suppose it's time I explain to you the nature of my deal with your double."_

There was a loud screeching noise. Elizabeth turned around to discover a screen had been pulled up near a wall.

_"__Your double, who you have dubbed 'Comstock,' wanted to use my resources to bring you to her. That part of the deal has been fulfilled. Now, I suppose it's my turn."_

With a click, the screen projected the image of a Little Sister.

_"__I present to you the orphans of Rapture: the wretched Little Sisters. Volunteered by their parents, or kidnapped by Ryan's men. There was not much of a requirement to become one: you merely had to be a pre-pubescent girl who could survive having an ADAM slug implanted in your stomach. But what your friend Tenenbaum didn't count on was the hormonal response to the slug."_

The image flickered before changing to that of…well, Elizabeth wasn't quite sure what she was looking at. It seemed to be a teenage girl, no question about it...but her eyes were hollow, her expression completely numb, and her height—well, that was something else.

_"__Complete imbalance,"_ Lamb mused. _"The ADAM slug no longer produces, but it's all still there, floating in their system. The ADAM grants them extreme strength, not to mention stretching their spine to almost inhumane lengths. But it seems the mental conditioning, Dr. Tenenbaum's doing, has affected their mental state."_

Footage played of this post-pubescent Little Sister chained to an examining table, with some Splicers cowering in a nearby corner.

_"__We're not sure we can truly call them Little Sisters anymore. Some of my followers have dubbed them 'The Big Sisters,' a term that seems to have stuck. Luckily, only three little girls have reached this stage, it's nothing my scientists cannot handle."_

With a mighty jolt, the Big Sister broke from its restraints, flung itself through the air towards the Splicers, and a splash of blood covered the camera. The image quickly changed to what appeared to be the aftermath, with the Big Sister now locked in a metal box, another Splicer mopping up some blood and intestines from the floor.

_"__But the rest—that's a different question. Children grow, Miss Comstock. I can't just keep these Big Sisters locked up in boxes. But a colleague of mine, the brilliant Dr. Gilbert Alexander, has proposed a different solution."_

The image changed to a Big Daddy standing next to a dead Splicer body, his Little Sister gathering from said body.

_"__Taking inspiration from Suchong's Big Daddy program, we thought maybe we could train the Big Sisters to become protectors. It would be a question of reconditioning. And, even if their ADAM slugs don't produce, the Big Sisters can still gather. What's better, they are much more athletic compared to the Big Daddies, so they have a better chance of defending themselves."_

"Where do I come into play?"

The screen showed an image of a blueprint. On closer inspection, Elizabeth realized it was a design for the very diving suit she was wearing.

_"__Dr. Alexander built—might I add, from scratch—the 'Big Sister' suit. Gathering ADAM, protecting Little Sisters. You might recall my little explanation about how it works."_

"Your deal with my double was that in exchange for you bringing me to her, I had to wear this suit?"

_"__Correct. As a field test, of sorts."_

"Why me?"

_"__Formed from a theory: your pair bonding to the girl made you prone to protector behaviors. One of the things I wanted poor Mr. Kennedy to test out."_

The image switched to Elizabeth putting the squeeze on the Gambler's head.

_"__Once my suspicions had been confirmed, we decided to put it into a combat situation. That is, you exploring the city."_

The screen flashed images Elizabeth recognized: the bathroom Splicer; the docks at the shopping mall; her fight with the Motorized Patriot.

"This doesn't add up," she said. "I couldn't possibly have the strength to match the Big Sisters."

_"__That was an issue, yes."_

"How did you resolve it?"

_"__It merely involved removing a bit of your oxygen tank and putting in some…supplements."_

Elizabeth's eyes widened as she remembered Kat's observation about her height.

_"__You're not the perfect Big Sister,"_ Lamb digressed. _"But a good enough facsimile."_

Elizabeth stared at Lamb. "You used me as a lab rat?!"

_"__Your double tells me it wouldn't be the first time. But to be fair, I have never truly seen you in action."_

"You never will. Not when I get my hands on you."

_"__Acrylic glass walls, Miss Comstock. Not exactly the easiest to break through."_

"I will not let you make me your own personal guinea pig."

_"__I think you may be too far gone for that. Even if I were to disconnect you from your ADAM supply now, you have been taking it in in large quantities for several hours. Your body's become reliant, it would take weeks for you to recover. You might end up like Fontaine."_

Elizabeth looked at her palms. She hated to admit it, but Lamb was right.

_"__You're not getting the girl unless I let you in here on my own will. And to do that, I think I need to witness this for myself."_

The room shuddered with a distant rumble. _Stomp. Stomp._

"What's this then?"

_"__Another lab experiment."_

* * *

The woman in the dress lowered the shotgun. "Kat?"

There was a long pause.

Tenenbaum cleared her throat. "Friend of yours?"

"You might say that," Kat shrugged. And on that note, she stepped forward and pulled Chelsea into a warm embrace. Chelsea, surprised (and a bit pleased), returned it.

Tenenbaum watched the sight for a moment. Finally she stuck out a hand. "I'm Dr. Brigid Tenenbaum, you must be _Fräulein_ Gracenin."

Chelsea shook Tenenbaum's hand. "That would be me. _Kat, you can let go now._ I've heard a lot about you."

Kat finally let go of Chelsea. "Can't believe you pulled through."

"Well, I can't believe you doubted me. Where's that other woman you were with, the one who sang like an angel?"

"She—what?"

"Nothing."

"She's gone to Persephone," Tenenbaum explained. "That's where Lamb has the Little Sister."

Chelsea considered this. "Huh. So, does that mean we have to leave without her?"

Pause.

"Erm…are you going to answer the question?"

"We are not leaving," Kat said firmly. "Not until she gets back. Why would you even suggest that?"

Chelsea looked between the two women. "It's a question of logistics. We do not know how long she's going to be in Persephone, we do not know if she is going to make it out of there alive, anyway, and we also know that if we stay in one place for too long we are going to end up dead anyway."

Kat stared at Chelsea for a long moment.

"Do you disagree?"

"I have gone through a lot of shit in the past day or so," Kat growled angrily. "I lost my husband to an overzealous human, I was beaten up by said human, later electrocuted by said human, I saw my daughter but didn't realize it was her, I later realized it was her and found out she had been kidnapped, I had to team up with the same person who killed my husband and lost my daughter, I saw some science technobabble that I still don't fully understand, I got drunk, I got beaten up by a Houdini Splicer, I was ambushed by turrets, I was betrayed by _you_, I was stuck in some god-awful memory of my past where I had to die, I had a bleeding nose from hell, I had a bullet shot in my knee, I had to run from some motorized whatever, and then I got attacked by a Houdini Splicer again. Putting it plainly, WE ARE STAYING. Savvy?"

Chelsea bit her lip. "Oh yeah, perfectly."

"Good," Kat smiled, satisfied. Then she frowned as she looked down at the large hole protruding from her leg. "Uh, Brigid, speaking of bullets in knees…"

"Right this way."

* * *

The lights came flashing on. A door swung open, and in trudged a Rumbler Big Daddy.

_"__Daddy?"_ Eleanor Lamb called out.

_"__No, Eleanor,"_ her mother replied. _"Not yours."_

"If this is the price to pay, I'm not going to fight him." Elizabeth stood her ground.

_"__You may have a choice in this,"_ Lamb shrugged. _"Unfortunately, he doesn't."_ She raised her hand, revealing a small remote. _"I suppose this should be a fair fight. Which means we void any advantage you may have over him."_ She aimed the remote at the Vita-Chamber in the corner of the room. _"You may consider yourself mortal."_

With that, the Vita-Chamber shut down.

Before Elizabeth could respond, the Big Daddy roared, stuck one foot forward, and fired off a single rocket from its cannon, sending Elizabeth sprawling across the floor before finally coming to a stop at the wall. Her vision turned red, and her blood boiled with anger.

**"****INTERLOPER!"** she screamed. She pushed herself to her feet. _It's all you have to do,_ she thought to herself. _Kill him, and this is over._

But the Big Daddy wasn't done with her. He flung something onto the floor, which Elizabeth realized was a miniature turret. It beeped a few times before launching a hail of bullets, forcing her to scramble out of its field of vision, in the process grabbing her helmet and placing it back on her head.

Elizabeth raised her hand and fired off Electro Bolt, disabling the turret. Turning her attention to the Big Daddy, Elizabeth launched Incinerate at it, distracting it long enough for her to pull out her tommy gun and land a few rounds into it.

Not to be deterred, the Big Daddy recovered, and fired a volley of rockets. Elizabeth jumped out of their path, through the air, and onto the back of the Big Daddy. Recalling her previous fight with the Bouncer, she searched for a design fault that could allow her to disable it.

Too late, she realized this particular type of suit had no such design fault, at least not where the Bouncer did.

The Big Daddy, realizing what she was doing, flung itself backwards against the wall, very nearly crushing Elizabeth and sending her to the ground. Dazed, Elizabeth tried to get up but was quickly stopped by the Big Daddy's boot pressing her against the ground.

_"__My, my, Elizabeth. You've proven yourself a rather disappointing subject."_

The red eyes of the Big Daddy looked down at Elizabeth as though to say, "She's right." It raised its fist, ready to launch it straight into her head.

But before it could hit its target, it was stopped by two hands lifting up from the ground and promptly stopping it.

_"__What?!"_ Lamb exclaimed.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth. Her bones ached from the strength of the Big Daddy, but she held fast. Finally, unable to hold her grip, she let go of the fist and swung to the side, avoiding the Big Daddy's punch. She tried to scramble away, but was stopped as the Rumbler grabbed her by the leg and flung her behind its back. She slammed head-first into the wall, knocking her helmet off into the shadows.

_"__Kill him, Lizzy, kill him!"_ Amber called out from the quarantine chamber.

_Do it for the girl,_ Elizabeth thought to herself. _Do it for the girl._ She pushed herself to her feet, dazed. She could feel the Big Sister boiling down.

"Stay with me," she whispered. "We're not done until the girl is safe." She pulled out a shotgun and made a mad dash towards the Big Daddy, letting off several blasts directly into its helmet.

The Rumbler groaned, waving its arms with discomfort. Elizabeth fired shell after shell, reloading and dashing out of the way to avoid the Big Daddy's retaliatory attacks.

_"__You are a formidable fighter,"_ Lamb observed.

The Big Sister ignored her, continuing to fire. She prepared to reload, when she realized she only had one shell left.

There was no way the Big Daddy was weak enough to fall on this one shell. With few options, Elizabeth raised her hand and fired off Electro Bolt, shocking the Big Daddy. She switched out the shotgun for the hand cannon and fired off shot-after-shot, until a few clicks revealed she had spent all of her ammunition.

The Rumbler quickly recovered. Before Elizabeth could get in another plasmid blast, the Big Daddy roared and slammed its fist into her chest, sending her flying into the window of the quarantine. She bounced off the acrylic glass and hit the ground.

_"__Lizzy!"_ Amber screamed.

Elizabeth gritted her teeth. The impact had broken a bone in her arm, which was now being mended by the ADAM in her suit. It would be healed sooner or later. But her head was still ringing from getting slammed so many times.

Before she could formulate a better plan of attack, she felt a large hand grasp her by the shoulders and pull her up to face the window. She could see in her reflection the Rumbler right behind her. It growled and slammed her headfirst into the glass.

_"__Ah yes, blunt force injury,"_ Lamb commented. _"Do it again, Epsilon."_

The Big Daddy roared in acknowledgement and slammed Elizabeth once more into the glass. He looked up at Lamb in anticipation.

_"__No, let her wait this one out. We're not animals, you know."_

Elizabeth felt the large hand release its grip, and she fell to the floor, dazed. Catching a glimpse of her reflection in the floor beneath her, she saw the Big Sister was boiling down, and a stream of blood was pouring down from her hairline.

Lamb approached the window slowly. _"You've done well, Miss Comstock,"_ she said coolly. _"But not well enough."_

The injury was too severe, even for all the ADAM in her blood. Maybe a health needle would fix it, but Elizabeth was too dazed to even attempt to reach for one.

_"__It's sad, isn't it?"_ Lamb sighed. _"Knowing the girl will never reunite with her mother. And you will be left to rot in here. A true burial at sea."_

_This can't be it. It can't end here._

_"__What do you have to say, Miss Comstock? What can y—"_

* * *

Suddenly, Lamb went silent. Confused, Elizabeth forced herself to look up at the window. The Rapture Family leader had frozen mid-speech, but not in shock. It was as if time had stopped completely for her.

In the distance, she could hear the distinct click of heals. With barely enough energy to look up anymore, all Elizabeth could get a glimpse of as she returned to the ground were two legs standing before her.

Whoever it was knelt down and reached into Elizabeth's satchel. She rummaged around for a bit before finally pulling something out. She lifted up Elizabeth's head by the cheek.

"Take a deep breath," she said.

Elizabeth felt a sudden pain in her neck, followed by intense relief in her forehead as she felt her head injury close up.

"Think, Elizabeth," the figure urged. "How do you break acrylic glass?"

Elizabeth tried to push herself off the ground. "High impact…" she stammered. "But, only under certain circumstances…"

"Explain it."

"It…it behaves in a brittle manner when…" She was still a little dazed from her head injury, and could barely form a clear image in her head. But there was something unmistakable about the voice of her savior. "Madame Lutece?"

"Focus, Elizabeth! When does it behave in a brittle manner?"

"When it's loaded."

"Loaded meaning…?"

"Perhaps a high voltage source directly applied to—to the surface." Elizabeth looked up at the glass. "If I can apply Electro Bolt directly to it—"

She looked over towards Rosalind Lutece. "—all it would take is a high impact force to break the glass."

But the woman had vanished.

* * *

_"—__ou do to get yourself out of this mess?"_

Elizabeth stood up slowly, making sure to check her EVE supply. "Absolutely nothing," she said defiantly.

Lamb smiled. _"You disappoint me, Miss Comstock. Epsilon: finish her off."_

The Rumbler bellowed and grabbed Elizabeth's shoulder again. She shut her eyes and raised her right hand.

The Big Daddy slammed her forward. But instead of her head hitting the glass, her palm stopped the impact. The Rumbler howled in frustration, but Elizabeth held fast.

_Give me enough force_, she thought.

Lamb had begun to realize something was wrong. She nervously took a step back from the window.

The Big Daddy let out one final growl and launched its whole self forward. Immediately, Elizabeth slid out of the way and activated Electro Bolt.

The Rumbler crashed right through the glass, shattering it to pieces. Dazed and unbalanced, it flailed on the window ledge frantically.

_"__Warning, quarantine compromised,"_ a computer beeped. _"Warning, quarantine compromised."_

Elizabeth loaded the final shell into her shotgun and gently placed the barrel right at the Big Daddy's head.

"Finish this."

And then it was over.

* * *

Elizabeth watched the Big Daddy corpse slide to the ground with an unhappy groan. It lay there, sprawled out with a massive hole in its helmet.

She leaned forward. Was that a face in there?

_BANG!_

Elizabeth dodged to the side as a single shot fired by Sofia Lamb narrowly missed her head.

"Lizzy!" Amber shouted.

The Rapture Family leader said nothing as she fired off more shots, only stopping after Elizabeth had ducked behind the window ledge.

She reloaded her gun and pulled down the hammer, waiting patiently for the woman to re-emerge.

But she didn't. Confused, Lamb put down the Little Sister and glanced over the window ledge to find that no one was there.

Suddenly, she heard Eleanor let out a yelp. Whirling around, she saw her daughter kneeling on her bed, with Elizabeth's arm wrapped around her chest, a hand cannon held up directly to the girl's temple.

"How'd you get in here?!" Lamb exclaimed, horrified.

"Old plasmid," Elizabeth replied, wiggling her fingers. "It's called Peeping Tom. It renders me invisible for short periods of time."

Eleanor started to cry.

"Let her go!" Lamb ordered.

"Or what?" Elizabeth asked. "What will you do? Are you going to pull a turnaround and threaten the other one? Not a good plan, especially with the whole 'Big Sister' situation."

Lamb stared at Elizabeth with pure hatred.

"Lizzy, why are you making Eleanor sad?" Amber called out from the floor.

Elizabeth adjusted her grip on the gun. "It's called leverage, Amber."

"Don't make Eleanor sad, Lizzy!" Amber exclaimed. "Eleanor's nice!"

There was a long moment as Elizabeth and Lamb locked eyes. Neither moved a muscle. The only sound was Eleanor sobbing.

"Here's what's going to happen," Elizabeth said finally. "I am going to get down from this bed. I will drag Eleanor over to the window ledge. I myself will step over the window ledge while Eleanor will remain on your side. I will keep the gun trained on her head until you take Amber and put her over on my side. Once that is finished, the girl and I will leave, and you will let us go quietly. You will not come after us, you will not kill my friends on our trip to the surface. Do you understand?"

Lamb blinked a few times. She took another look at Eleanor.

Elizabeth, dissatisfied, pulled down the hammer on her gun.

"I understand!" Lamb shouted. "I understand."

"Good," Elizabeth smiled. "Come along, Eleanor."

She carefully nudged the girl off the bed and brought her to the window ledge, keeping the gun trained to Eleanor's head the entire time. Lamb followed her with her eyes every step of the way.

Elizabeth laughed to herself as she climbed over the window ledge. Somewhere, under that icy, ruthless exterior, Sofia Lamb was a mother who cared for her child.

"Alright, I'm over here now," Elizabeth announced. "Send her over."

"Not until you take that gun away from her."

"Are you in any position to negotiate, Lamb?"

Lamb looked down at Amber. She leaned forward to pick her up, and the Little Sister promptly screamed.

"Amber, it's alright," Elizabeth whispered. "I won't let her hurt you."

The girl nervously let Lamb lift her off the ground and bring her over to Elizabeth.

The Rapture Family leader gently pushed the Little Sister into the cage on Elizabeth's back. "She's in, Miss Comstock," she said. "I've done my share, now you do yours."

Elizabeth looked up. "Back away first."

"You cannot—"

"Back. Away."

Lamb reluctantly took a few steps back.

Elizabeth leaned down. "I'm about to let you go, Eleanor," she whispered. "Nod if you understand that."

The girl trembled, but nodded.

Elizabeth leaned in closer, directly next to the girl's ear. _"Daddy's sleeping. Wake him up."_

And with that, she lowered her gun and pushed the girl back to her mother.

Lamb looked down at her sobbing daughter. "I'm not going to forget this," she said, not looking up.

"I'm sure of it. You'll remember me 'til your final days as the woman who could've ended you. The woman who could've ruined every twisted thing you could amount to—but in the end, didn't." She turned around and walked over to her helmet.

"What did you whisper to her?" Lamb asked, looking up.

Elizabeth picked up the helmet. There was a pretty big dent in it, but it looked like the overall structure held.

"Tell Alexander his design works perfectly," she said, turning it over a few times. "But I'm keeping the suit."

"What did you whisper to her?" Lamb asked, louder this time.

Elizabeth looked back at Lamb. "I only told her what she needed to know."

Lamb stared at her. "You smug bitch."

_Oh shit._

Lamb swung out her pistol. "What did you tell her?"

Before Elizabeth could react, Lamb's face suddenly went dull, and she fell to the ground. A single shot erupted from the barrel and zipped past Elizabeth's head into the wall.

Standing behind Lamb, holding up a wrench, was the doppelganger.

Elizabeth could only stare at her double, stunned. Finally, her most viable option was to exclaim "nope" and make a run for it. She had no interest in finding out if Comstock would follow.

But she got a good idea from hearing the distinct click of heels running across the floor.


	25. Dissension

**Currently looking for test readers for my next fanfiction, another BioShock story. Message me if you're interested.**

* * *

A blow to the back of the head was not enough to kill Sofia Lamb. But it was certainly enough to leave her lying on the ground for a few moments.

She managed to look up in time to see her former associate running out the door. A betrayal, of sorts—although to be fair they had merely made a deal.

Eleanor looked down at her mother. "Can I go play now, mama?"

Lamb stood up. "Later, Eleanor. Right now I have some business to attend to…"

* * *

Elizabeth had hoped her escape from Persephone would go uninterrupted. If she had the misfortune of encountering the doppelganger, fine—as long as she could make a run for it.

But what she hadn't counted on was the door that had locked behind her on her way in. Not even her key card was working: Lamb had deadbolted it completely.

Her other option, besides trying to knock down the door, was to head for the elevator that led to the main city. But the thought of having to go through city again was—

Elizabeth's thoughts were interrupted by the click of heels stopping a few feet away. She turned around to face her opponent.

"Look Lizzy, it's you!" Amber exclaimed.

Comstock smirked. "Come on, you don't really want to make a mess in front of a child, do you?"

"You're not getting your other half."

"That's all relative to me. Either way, only one of us is going to make it out of this city alive. Or perhaps the both of us as one. It's your decision, Elizabeth."

"You're a royal liar, you know that? How long did it take working with Lamb to realize she was a lost cause?"

Comstock was silent for a moment. "A mere conversation," she said. "I thought I could change her, make her a better leader." She shrugged. "Fanaticals don't know how to handle digression peacefully. To them, their only option is complete control."

"And yet you continued your association with her."

"Even if I couldn't redeem her, she had resources. To get you to meet me, I had to make a few deals, some of questionable ethics."

"And your naivety caused your downfall. I heard that audio diary."

"I _know_." The doppelganger raised her arm, pointing to the device still attached to her wrist. "Why do you think I left it there?"

Before Elizabeth could respond, Lamb's voice boomed over the announcer system. _"I applaud the both of you. Or the one of you, really. You've managed to beat me in some manner, and that's very hard to do."_

"I held up my end, Lamb," Elizabeth called out. "And she held up hers."

_"_She_ clocked me on the head with a wrench,"_ Lamb replied spitefully. _"Do you know what they call a guest who attacks the hospitable homeowner? Ungrateful."_

"I'm under no obligation to you," Comstock replied. "Our deal has been fulfilled."

_"__It has. But you seem to have incurred a slight debt by attacking me."_

There was a loud hissing sound.

_"__A debt that needs to be repaid."_

The hissing grew louder.

The doppelganger looked at a nearby wall, the apparent source of the sound.

She looked back at Elizabeth.

The hissing stopped.

The wall burst in an avalanche of flames, sending the doppelganger sprawling to the ground.

The door slid open.

_"__Now we're even."_

Elizabeth could only stare out into the hallway.

_Where's Robert Lutece?_

The doppelganger groaned. Tiny bits of concrete had embedded themselves in the side of her face.

_"__The door's open, Miss Comstock. I trust you want to make your escape?"_

She looked up at Elizabeth with pure hatred.

_"__She's not going to let you live if you don't move."_

With no choice, Elizabeth ran.

* * *

Tenenbaum was in the process of bandaging Kat's leg on a bench not far from the bathyspheres. The surgery to remove the bullet proved rather…bloody.

"The miracles of modern medicine," the good doctor muttered, eyeing the slug she had just pulled out. "_Fraülein De Winter,_ I can assure you the pain will go away much faster if we use the health vials."

"Not in a million years," Kat replied. Her voice was still a little weak from screaming. "I can live without that shit in my veins."

"Yes, well, that bullet was in your leg for a long time. I cannot guarantee your safety from infection."

Chelsea sat in the bathysphere, rubbing her hands. "I don't like this," she muttered. "That screaming would've woken up every damn Splicer around."

"What'd you expect me to do––sing the entire works of Irving Berlin?"

Tenenbaum wiped her hands off on the remains of the shirt she had butchered to use as a makeshift bandage for Kat's injury. "She's right," she said, nodding to Chelsea. "We've overstayed our welcome. I would not recommend remaining here any longer than we have to."

"Yeah, well, she told us to wait for her," Kat grunted as she sat up. "And unless she calls that radio in the next five seconds, we're staying."

The radio sitting on Tenenbaum's medical bag crackled to life. _"Is anyone there? Hello?"_

"For the record," Kat said dryly. "I did not plan that."

_"__Oh, for god's sake, there you are! Lamb must have lifted her radio ban."_

"Sounds like she's running from something," Chelsea commented as she jumped up to join the conversation. "Think she pulled through?"

Tenenbaum grabbed the radio. "Elizabeth, do you have the Little Sister?"

_"She's on my back right now!"_

_"Hi!"_ a tiny voice exclaimed.

Kat immediately left the group and limped over to the bathysphere.

After watching her for a moment, Tenenbaum returned to the radio. "Have you found any––"

Kat let out a massive scream of joy.

"––have you found any means of escape?"

_"__There's an airlock in the depths of Persephone near the waste management area. I can use that to get out!"_

"What about getting to the surface?"

_"__I…I can swim, maybe?"_

"What?"

_"__I'll figure something out, alright? Just…stay put!"_

Before anyone could respond to this piece of advice, a strange whisper echoed through the bathysphere dock. _"I just gotta wait out the down cycle! I'm a success...I'M A FUCKIN' SUCCESS!"_

Chelsea looked at Tenenbaum and Kat. _"Three at a time?"_ she mouthed.

Kat and Tenenbaum looked at each other.

_"One first, others backup,"_ Tenenbaum mouthed.

Chelsea nodded as she grabbed her shotgun. Tenenbaum and Kat retrieved their own weapons.

A shadowy figure, a Breadwinner Splicer by the looks of it, was stumbling down the ramp into the main bathysphere dock.

"I know you're down here, tramps!" he called out.

Another voice called out, _"Come on, Mac, their ain't no one there!"_

"I heard voices! I can smell them! Someone's wearin' perfume!"

_"Perfume?"_ Another voice, this one higher-pitched. _"Well, count me in! I ain't goin' to the Ritz without some delectable aroma on my flesh!"_

Mac walked as slowly as possible down the ramp.

_"Hurry up already!"_ the perfume Splicer shouted. _"I want the smell!"_

"Just shut the fuck up and I'll find it!" Mac called back, looking behind him. He didn't see Chelsea tumble through the open and under a bench.

Turning back, he continued down the ramp until he made it to the bathysphere docks proper.

"Well, I can't see you," he growled. "But that don't mean I can't feel your presence." He cautiously turned a foot, and then jumped around a corner, figuring someone was gonna get the drop on him around the wall.

No one there.

And just like that, he was out like a light as Chelsea hit him on the head with the shotgun.

"Sorry 'bout the perfume, bucko," she shrugged.

_"Mac? What's takin' ya so long?"_

Chelsea crawled back to the bathysphere, rejoining Kat and Tenenbaum at the docks. "There's our trouble," she whispered, motioning back towards the ramp. "If she swims up here, that puts an extra hour of us in here, and an extra hour to deal with those yokels. She needs some means of transportation."

"Persephone does not have any bathyspheres of its own, though," Tenenbaum pointed out. "There's the warden's lifeboat, which I assume she is nowhere near."

"Does it have docks or anything?" Kat asked.

"Only one was the one she was at, and that one's occupied as far as I can tell."

Chelsea laughed. "Cutting the time to get to a bathysphere, huh? Hell, it would be easier to bring the bathysphere to…" She trailed off, meeting the gaze of Tenenbaum and Kat. They looked over at the bathysphere.

"If the mountain won't go to Mohammed…" Kat said slowly.

"Then Mohammed must go to the mountain," Chelsea concluded.

There was a long pause.

_"Mac! Stop playin' games!"_

Chelsea sighed as she began making the journey back towards the ramp to deal with this new threat. Kat and Tenenbaum crawled back into bathysphere.

"Alright, new plan of attack," Kat said into the radio as Tenenbaum lifted up a floor panel and began fiddling with the various circuits. "We're gonna take the bathysphere to you."

_"What?!"_

"Get to the airlock, we'll be sending it around that area. If you can catch it, you can ride the hull up to the surface."

_"But there's a huge margin of error! Besides, we'll be exposed to the elements!"_

"You have the diving suit," Tenenbaum explained. "You will be able to sustain the pressure change. Plus, Little Sisters can survive underwater for extended periods."

There was a loud bang, followed by the sound of a body hitting the floor.

"Shit!" Chelsea shouted.

_"Hey, what was that?!"_ came the reply.

"Dammit," Kat muttered. She picked up her gun and stood up to join Chelsea, but just as quickly toppled over in pain, letting out a yelp on her way down.

_"What happened?"_

Tenenbaum looked at Kat's leg. "The wound is infected," she hypothesized. "We left the bullet in there too long."

"I'm fine!" Kat shouted through clenched teeth.

There were several more shouts, followed by the sound of a shotgun firing off in quick succession.

"Little help here!" Chelsea called out.

Tenenbaum looked between Kat and the open panel on the floor. Finally, she picked up her gun, shut the panel, and hurried out onto the dock.

Chelsea was already having enough trouble fighting off the Splicers. Having run out of shells, she had resorted to whacking Splicers on the head with the barrel.

Tenenbaum found herself within a sufficient range and aimed her hand cannon. _"Herunturkommen!"_

"What?!

_"Get down!"_

With no choice, Chelsea dove to the side.

Tenenbaum fired five successive shots, each hitting its target right in the stomach. As soon as she was finished, she ran forward, grabbed Chelsea and, and dragged her back into the bathysphere.

"We are out of time!" she shouted into the radio. She pulled down the lever, and the doors of the bathysphere closed. Already a new group of Splicers were running onto the docks, screaming.

_"What do you mean 'out of time'?!"_

Tenenbaum watched as the bathysphere descended down the shaft and out into the water. "We're on a set course, I can't change it now. Get to the airlock as soon as you can!"

* * *

Rapture was, ignoring all the insane shit that occurred, a beautiful city. Any normal person would love to stop and take a look at their surroundings.

But of course, there were times where you couldn't stop to admire the modern ruin and just needed to make a run for it.

"It doesn't have to be like this, Elizabeth!" Comstock called out. "Just slow down and we can talk!"

_"__Keep moving! You have only five more minutes to get out of the facility!"_

"I was never a fan of this plan in the first place!"

_"__It is not your call anymore,_ Fraülein!_ Just run!"_

Elizabeth kept moving forward: _left, right, left, right._ Her only concern was getting herself and Amber out of this pit and to the surface.

But something was bothering her. Something Rosalind Lutece had stated in her condemnation of the doppelganger.

_"__You merely had a body part severed by a Lutece Field: he and I were literally incinerated by one."_

* * *

The walls were closing in. She was entering into the maintenance areas. Less margin for error, with the hallway becoming so thin.

Finally, she found what she was looking for. "EMERGENCY AIRLOCK HATCH B."

There was just one small problem, and it was all in the title: emergencies. With the Little Sister cage attached, the suit was too larger for her to climb in.

Elizabeth reached behind her and gently pulled Amber out. "Looks like we ride this out together," she sighed as she began unlatching the cage from her back.

Then she heard distant footsteps coming from the narrow passageway, coming closer with every second.

She'd come too far to let this go any further. She didn't care if it meant never regaining her powers, or never seeing the surface again. It all had to end here.

Elizabeth whipped out her hand cannon, clutching Amber with her other arm as tight as she could. "Stay back!" she shouted.

The doppelganger's pace slowed until she came to a stop.

"Is this where it ends, DeWitt?" she grinned. "Alone once more, only a Little Sister to keep you company?"

"Your business is not in the hands of the girl. She needs to get out of this alive."

"But of course. That decision's yours."

Anna looked directly at Amber. She had the sinking feeling something was about to happen, and she didn't want the girl nearby to see it.

She knelt down. "Run," she whispered. "Run as far away from here as you can. I'll be back for you, I promise." She pulled the girl in and gave her a long kiss on the forehead. "Just go."

Amber hesitated.

"Go!"

The Little Sister scurried off down the hall.

"Clever girl," Comstock mused. "Shall we begin?"

Elizabeth kept the gun trained on Comstock. But after a moment, she lowered it to her side.

"You wanted to talk," she said. "So talk."

"Here's me thinking you were going to kill me right now."

"I don't _need_ a gun to kill you."

"I'm not going to argue with someone who won't show me her face."

Elizabeth pulled her helmet off. "There, here's my face in all its glory. That doesn't mean I'll think any less of killing you."

Comstock laughed. "What would killing me achieve, DeWitt? Would it make you feel good about yourself? Would it absolve you of any of the horrors you've committed in your short, sad lifetime?"

"It wouldn't," Elizabeth replied. "But it would get rid of someone who has consistently posed a threat to me, my friends, and my protectors."

Comstock only a smug smile.

"You collaborated with a woman who spells doom for Rapture. Even when you knew she was a lost cause, you kept it up. For what?"

"Because I believed I could end the Rapture nightmare."

"But even you knew that was a lost cause."

"There's only one way to end this, DeWitt." Comstock held up the device on her arm. "And it relies on one of us winning. I don't want to kill you if I don't have to."

"Is that a threat?"

"It's a warning."

"I'm not going to lose to myself. I'd rather stop you than let this madness continue."

"Even if it means you're no better than Comstock?"

There was a long pause.

"Or even your own father?"

Elizabeth stayed silent for a moment longer. "Yes."

Comstock smiled. "Then do it."

Elizabeth aimed the gun. She raised her thumb and pulled down on the hammer. Her index curled around the trigger.

But she couldn't fire. Her arm trembled.

"What are you waiting for?" Comstock asked mockingly. "Kill me!"

Elizabeth could feel her own heart beating out of her chest.

What would killing Comstock solve? Who would really win in the end?

If Comstock died, that was it. Elizabeth and Amber could leave Rapture, and Elizabeth could live on as a normal human.

But it didn't make up for anything. Elizabeth would still have killed Angus, let herself fall victim to the Big Sister, and Lamb would've gotten her experiment completed. Everything came full circle.

What did letting her live prove? Comstock was still dying, and nothing could stop that. But she had everything Lamb needed to further the Rapture family. Information, abilities…was that the better option?

Elizabeth's mind darted from option 1 to option 2. Fire. Defeat. Fire. Defeat.

_A means to an end._

"Alright," she said.

Comstock raised an eyebrow. "Alright?"

"Alright." Elizabeth pulled down on the trigger.

All that came out was the distinct _click_, signaling an empty barrel.

She had spent all of her ammunition. And judging by Comstock's stifled laughter, the other woman already knew it.

"You were actually going to do it," Comstock smiled. "I'm **_so_** disappointed in you, Elizabeth."

She opened her palm, raised her arm and swung it down towards Elizabeth's forehead.

Elizabeth responded by grabbing Comstock by the wrist, stopping her from attaching the extractor to her forehead.

"Just keel over and GIVE IN!" Comstock screamed.

Elizabeth finally found the strength to shove Comstock away. "Never," she replied.

Comstock recovered and jumped at Elizabeth once more. "I've given you everything, you little minx!"

Elizabeth grabbed onto a pipe above her, pulled herself into the air, and launched her feet straight into Comstock's face. The doppelganger tumbled into the wall, before making a grab for Elizabeth's legs, pulling her down to the floor.

"I could've made Rapture great! I knew what could save everyone! I could've made up for everything we've done!"

Elizabeth tried to get up, but the doppelganger pushed her back down with her knee. She placed her left hand on Elizabeth's throat.

"_We_ could've saved the world!" Comstock lifted up her arm and hit something on the device. It hummed and glowed as it was activated. Comstock slowly lowered her arm towards Elizabeth's face.

Elizabeth, with the last of her strength, raised her hand and grabbed hold of the device.

"We could've been like Booker!" Comstock shouted once more.

Elizabeth stared into Comstock's eyes. They were a bright blue color, for it was her own eyes she was looking into.

Her mind wandered back to Booker DeWitt. He would've sacrificed the world to protect his kin. His daughter would've done the same.

And that's when she finally realized the truth.

This doppelganger, the other half, built from a botched tear jump, was _not_ Booker DeWitt's daughter. And neither was she. They were just a remnant of a lost timeline, trying to find their place in a world they didn't even belong in.

Comstock tried to push further down towards Elizabeth's forehead. "We could've been heroes!" she shouted in one final plea.

"Not like this," Elizabeth spat. And she activated Electro Shock.

Comstock let out a scream as millions volts convulsed through her body. Her grip weakened. Elizabeth took a deep breath and shoved Comstock to the ground beside her.

The doppelganger lay still. At first, Elizabeth couldn't tell if she was alive or dead. But then the woman made a awkward groan. She was staring at the device, still attached to her hand, with sparks erupting from the circuitry.

_"Warning," it beeped. "System compromised. Detach immediately. System compromised. Detach immediately."_

"Lizzy!" Amber screamed. The Little Sister had seen the conflict and was running back.

Elizabeth looked between the girl and the device. It was glowing a more intense color now, one that did not look remotely safe.

_"Warning. System overheating. Meltdown imminent. Detach immediately."_

The blast radius was going to be too big – Amber would most likely be caught in it.

Elizabeth let out an exasperated sigh. Even if they could not make it out of Persephone, she needed to ensure the Little Sister's safety. And that meant the ultimate sacrifice.

"Stay there!" Elizabeth shouted. She crouched down on the floor and covered the device with her stomach. She couldn't stop it from exploding, but she might be able to contain the blast to a degree.

Suddenly, she felt the device move. Looking up, she saw Comstock staring right back at her.

"Hey," the woman said weakly. "You win."

Elizabeth stared back. "I wha–?"

And then, nothing.


	26. The Sea of Doors

For a moment, blackness.

But then...

She heard the sound of waves crashing against the rocks. There was the distinct smell of brine. Sunlight warmed her face.

Elizabeth opened her eyes. She blinked several times, to get the sunlight out of her eyes, but also to rid her mind of the apparent illusion she was witnessing.

But this was not her imagination.

Lying before her was the Sea of Doors.

"Beautiful, isn't it?"

She whirled around. Standing in front of the doors to the Rapture lighthouse were Robert and Rosalind Lutece.

Elizabeth looked between them with astonishment. "I'm...I'm back?"

"You are," Rosalind nodded. Her face still bore the scar across her cheek. "You never thought you'd see this place again, did you?"

Elizabeth looked out towards the waters once more. "No...I guess I didn't." She looked over at Robert Lutece and suddenly put on a faux-bossy tone. "Why didn't you wait for me?"

"I probably would have, if it had not been for her." He motioned to Rosalind. "She knew the moment that device was destroyed, I would become myself once more…or at least the self that was killed in the explosion in Columbia. So, she used her own knowledge of the Lutece Field to return me to the Sea of Doors, once she knew there was no threat of you following her."

"Me? But I didn't..." Elizabeth trailed off as she looked down at her arm. There were scars, indicative of something having been attached there. "Did I?"

"Our state of quantum-superposition was because we were entirely incinerated by an explosion," Rosalind explained. "Not just any explosion…one made out of Lutece Field Particles. The same can be explained for what just happened to you. When you two departed that realm together…"

"Two Annas became one once more."

Elizabeth looked out at the sea. "I remember everything…" she said slowly. "Two memories…one world." She looked back at Rosalind. "Sorry I cut your cheek."

"It's no trouble," Rosalind replied. "It only stings now and then."

So that was it. Comstock was gone, or at least no longer a threat. But something didn't sit right...

"But...why do I feel like the part of me that helped Sally is the one alive? Comstock...me...I remember being her, but none of her actions feel like they add up."

"Because they didn't," Robert agreed. "It is important to remember that Comstock was merely a portion of your mind corrupted by a botched tear jump. She was driven by her impulses like any person, only she lacked the reservations most have to contain them."

"And her impulses were?"

Robert looked at Rosalind before continuing. "To die, Elizabeth."

_"What?"_

"Because you never wanted to live in the first place," Rosalind replied. "When you saved Sally on that wretched night, you were content with what came next. You felt your entire life's work was complete."

"That's our fault for bringing you back," Robert added. "Do you know where the human mind goes when its host dies?"

"No."

"Well, the other part of you did. We're not supposed to remember where we go when we die if we are brought back. The Vita-Chambers are built that way: erasing one's memories of the afterlife. Otherwise you'll want to go back to what you had. Only when she made the massive leap from bathysphere to Lamb's office…she jogged something in her memories."

"Her every action, no matter how twisted it turned out, was all an attempt on her part to get back."

"It shows the power of desire for pure bliss. That is, heaven, or whatever they may call it."

Elizabeth laughed. "All that trouble to kill herself?"

"Not exactly. She hoped to leave a better impression on the world before returning. Maybe reunite a broken family."

"Or weaken Lamb's iron-clad grip on the city when the time was right and they revived Subject Delta."

"But in her affected state, she was in no position for rational thought. She only did what she thought were the right moves."

"That includes making you Lamb's guinea pig."

"Well," Elizabeth scoffed. "I guess she failed, then."

"Not exactly. Did she not set the cogs in motion to reunite the Splicer and her daughter? Did she not help destroy Lamb's resolve by putting her in a no-win situation? Did she not pull the right strings to make sure your whole self lived in the end?"

No response.

"I suppose we can never understand her thought process," Rosalind shrugged. "We just have to accept it as it happened."

Elizabeth took a deep breath. "So what happens now?"

"Well…that's up to you, isn't it?"

"You're near-clairvoyant now. You can explore the universe, like us."

"Can I go back to Rapture as I am now?"

"Well, that's an issue. One of your halves caused quite a lot of damage to the structure of the Lutece Field in that universe."

"Creating visual memories, using her abilities to freeze time itself...if it were not so dangerous, I would be impressed."

"It would be unwise to return there with your powers…you risk tearing the whole dimension inside out."

Elizabeth was horrified. "But...I need to be there. I need to make sure the girl reunites with her mother. I mean, I don't even know if I stopped that explosion from..." she paused mid-speech. "Is she—" she started, horrified.

Immediately, a tear opened up in front of the door. On the other side, Elizabeth saw herself, crouched over the doppelganger, motioning at Amber to stay back.

The image moved slightly. She hadn't seen this, but Amber had heeded her final warning and turned tail and made a run for it, just barely escaping the blast caused by the (contained) eruption of the device.

"She will live another day," Rosalind commented. "As will your friends. Only they will go to the surface without both the Little Sister and you. And the girl will not last long in a society that worships her kind."

The tear closed.

"She-she can't stay there," Elizabeth stammered. "I have to help her!"

"There is very little you can do in your current form."

"Not from this end, and definitely not from that end."

"But if you were to give up a part of yourself one last time…"

Elizabeth stared at the door. "...I could get her home."

"Now, Elizabeth…" Rosalind warned. "Once you go there, there's no turning back. We cannot follow you back there anymore."

"I left another Little Sister to rot alone in Rapture," Elizabeth said, cautiously stepping towards the doors.

"You'll never see us or the Sea of Doors again."

"You will be human for the rest of your life."

"To you, the mysteries of the universe will remain mysteries."

Elizabeth pressed her hand against the door. "I have to do it," she sighed. "I can't let it happen again."

Robert and Rosalind looked at each other. There was no way they could change her mind. Old habits don't die so easily.

"Are you sure about this?" Robert asked slowly.

Elizabeth closed her eyes. "I'm sure."

"Well then..." Robert said awkwardly. "This is where we say goodbye."

"Elizabeth, wait…"

"Yes?"

Rosalind stepped forward, looking slightly uncomfortable. "I don't usually do this," she admitted. And she abruptly pulled Elizabeth into a hug. After a moment, Robert joined in.

"Thanks, you two," Elizabeth gagged. "But…uh…it's getting difficult to breathe."

The Lutece Twins quickly stepped back.

"Well," Robert said. "For all your future endeavors as a human…good luck."

Elizabeth looked out at the Sea of Doors one last time.

"Wait…"

She looked at the twins. "Before I go back—there's something I need to do."

The twins smiled.

"We know."

"We thought you might want to go there one more time."

Rosalind motioned out towards one of the lighthouses. "I believe that's your way."

Elizabeth looked at the path before her. There was only one way she could take now. "Then I guess I'll see you two on the other side."

The Lutece Twins looked at each other.

"No," Robert began.

"You won't," Rosalind finished.

And then they were gone.


	27. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square

**All good things come to an end.  
**

* * *

_"__Lizzy!...Lizzy!"_

_"__I can hear her breathing! Is that…?"_

_"__Fraülein! Your time window's closing! Wake up!"_

* * *

Elizabeth opened her eyes, only to get slapped in the face by a pair of small hands.

"Wake up!" Amber screamed.

"I'm awake, I'm awake!" Elizabeth shouted. She looked to her side. Her doppelganger's body had completely disappeared.

_"__Elizabeth!"_ It was Kat's voice over the radio. _"The bathysphere's almost there! If you want to get out of Rapture with us, you'll have to get out here _now_!__"_

Elizabeth quickly bolted up, grabbing her helmet and sealing it over her head. She picked up the Little Sister and opened up the airlock. But looking out through the porthole she realized something that made her heart stop.

"Slow down, I can't swim to you!" she shouted into her radio.

_"__That's not a viable option, Elizabeth! This thing's on a set course, we can't do anything about speed!"  
_

Elizabeth slammed her fist into the door. "Shit!" she cursed, not really caring that she had a little girl in her arms. "FUCK!"

_"__Wait…"_ Tenenbaum called out. _"There's a garbage dispenser right next to that airlock! It'll launch you out like a cannon!"_

_"__That's a very small margin for error, doc! We don't know the force it'll take to launch her out here!"_

_"__We don't have a choice!"_

Elizabeth stumbled out of the airlock and looked at the garbage dispenser. It would be a tight squeeze.

"Lovely way to die," she muttered. "With the rest of the trash."

She clambered in, Amber held close to her chest.

"Hold your breath," she whispered. "This is not going to be fun." She reached out her arm and hit the disposal button.

There was a very loud sucking noise, and Elizabeth was launched down a long tunnel at a very high speed. She could feel her own face trying to cave in on itself. She couldn't hear Amber for sure, but she definitely felt the grip on her chest grow tighter.

Finally, compressed air gave way to water, and she found herself submerged completely.

But she hadn't accounted for the ocean's resistance. Too quickly she decelerated, and watched with horror as the bathysphere passed in front of her.

_"__ELIZABETH!"_ Kat screamed. She was banging on the bathysphere window in horror.

Elizabeth was in so much horror she didn't know what to do. The suit was too heavy for her to float up to the surface on her own.

_"__Fraülein!_" Tenenbaum shouted. _"Teleport! TELEPORT!"_

Elizabeth looked down at her hand. Quickly, she raised it and aimed it at the bathysphere, firing off a single dart.

"You hanging in there?" she asked Amber.

The Little Sister couldn't talk, seeing as her lungs were full of water, but she nodded.

"Good. Keep at it." She slammed her fist into her side, and found herself directly behind the bathysphere, still moving at its fast pace. Completely relying on her own wits at this point, she reached forward and grabbed hold of the railing lining the bathysphere's hull.

Almost immediately, the pull of the bathysphere vs. Elizabeth's own weight created a drag force that pulled her back. She was now dangling from a flimsy railing on the bathysphere, with only one hand available to hold her in place.

_"Elizabeth?!"_

"I'm on the hull!"

_"What?!"_

"I'm holding onto the hull!"

_"Well, don't let go!"_

"Why the hell would I let go?!"

Amber was clutching Elizabeth's chest, her eyes tightly shut. She had a strong enough grip...

Elizabeth released her arm's hold on the Little Sister, who promptly opened her eyes and screamed.

"Amber!" she shouted, putting her arm back and stopping the girl's wailing. "I need you to trust me!" She felt the grip around her chest grow tighter. Seizing this moment, she launched her other arm forward until she had a firm grip with both hands on the bathysphere. Using all her remaining strength, she pulled both herself and the Little Sister to the top of the hull.

_"__Where is she? I can't see her!"_

Elizabeth peeked her head over the door of the bathysphere. She banged her fist on the glass. "Up here!"

Kat immediately reached up. _"Do you have her?!"_

Elizabeth gently eased Amber over to the glass of the door.

"Look, I can't cure her until we get to the surface," she warned. "I don't know for sure if she remembers you yet."

Amber stared at her mother with wonder. Then she reached out her tiny fingers and pressed them against the glass, right where the splicer's hand was.

Kat's legs trembled. Quickly, Chelsea ran forward and held her up.

Tenenbaum walked forward. _"You've done it, Elizabeth!" _she called. _"Just hang in there until we get to the surface! It won't be long now, we have all the time in the___—_"_

_"__—world, Brigid?"_ a voice called out.

Tenenbaum froze as she stared at the radio. _"Lamb."_

Elizabeth looked up, in time to catch a glimpse of Lamb's office. The Rapture Family matriarch was watching them go by.

_"__You've planted something in the my daughter's mind, Miss Comstock,"_ Lamb said. Her speech sounded slurred—a side-effect of the blow to her head. _"I don't know what, but knowing what's up your sleeve, it's going to come back to haunt me."_

"What of it?"

_"__Perhaps you're more trouble to me than letting you go is worth."_ Elizabeth watched as Lamb's hand hovered over a red button on her desk.

Her mind wandered back to earlier that day, when Lamb had started this whole business with a bathysphere, the people inside it, and a torpedo.

"What would killing me now achieve, Lamb?" Elizabeth asked. "Would it make you feel good about yourself? Would it really make up for all of the things I've done to you over the past day? If I never bother you again, like I promised…will you reconsider?"

Lamb's hand hovered over the button for a little longer.

Elizabeth threw in one last punch. "Would you really renege on a deal?"

Finally, Lamb's hand lowered. _"__You're a very tough woman to argue with,"_ she admitted. _"You would've made a great religious leader."_

Elizabeth laughed. "No…I wouldn't have."

Lamb smiled, though not in a friendly manner. _"You get to live another day, I suppose." _She reached to a box on her desk and hit a switch. The bathysphere rumbled and started to pick up speed. _"I've increased the power on your bathysphere. That'll cut the time to get to the surface in half." _Already her signal was growing faint, Persephone Correctional Facility growing distant. _"Godspeed, Miss Comstock. Pray that our paths never meet again."_

And with that, her signal cut out, replaced only by static.

* * *

The bathysphere continued to rise, finally reaching Rapture proper.

_"__It's a beautiful city, don't you think?"_ Chelsea commented.

_"__With any luck, it could've been the greatest."_ Tenenbaum shook her head as she admired the lights, still shining after a year of madness. _"Perhaps utopia isn't something we're ready for yet."_ She looked at the radio, which was still playing static. Frowning, she reached out and adjusted the dial.

Abruptly, music started playing: _"That certain night, the night we met/There was magic abroad in the air/There were angels dining at the Ritz/And a nightingale sang in Berkeley Square…"_

"Remarkably appropriate," Elizabeth mused

Kat sat on the bench, rubbing her leg. _"Someone will think of doing this whole thing again. Only maybe they'll do a better job at handling it."_

Elizabeth looked at Amber. The Little Sister was clinging to the railing on the bathysphere, waving her hands at the fish that swam by.

"Amber, look at the city."

The Little Sister's focus shifted to the buildings.

"Will you miss it?"

Amber made a thoughtful expression. Finally, she let out a bubbly "Nuh-uh," while shaking her head.

Elizabeth laughed. "It's all you've ever known, and even you don't like it. That's a testament to its legacy."

Tenenbaum knocked on the glass, getting Elizabeth's attention. _"Tell me…do I ever go back?"_

Elizabeth stared at her. "What?"

_"__I know this is supposed to be our final farewell, but do we…do _I_ ever return to Rapture?"_

Elizabeth looked back at the city, which was already starting to grow distant.

"I don't know," she said finally. "I've lost all my abilities: to see the doors, to change the universe…I don't know the answer anymore."

Tenenbaum sighed. _"Good. I dread the day I have to return to that pit of hell."_

Elizabeth had been lying. Though she could no longer see the doors, she knew Tenenbaum would return to Rapture in the near-future. But for now, she would let the doctor live for a few more years with relief, amongst her family of cured Little Sisters.

Suddenly, Kat let out a groan and leaned to her side.

"What's wrong?" Elizabeth asked, concerned.

Tenenbaum walked over and looked at Kat's leg. _"It's the injury,"_ she said gravely. _"I need to treat this as soon as possible. This could very well be amputation-worthy."  
_

Elizabeth looked up. Sunlight was coming through: they were almost at the surface.

Her mind wandered to the vial of pure ADAM she had collected from the dock worker back at the mall, still sitting in her bag.

"I have an idea," she said.

* * *

The bathysphere finally broke the surface of the water.

Amber started gagging as sea water came flowing out of her nose and mouth. Elizabeth gently patted the girl's back until she was breathing normally. Then she picked her up by the stomach and jumped down onto the steps of the lighthouse.

Kat was being tended to by Tenenbaum and Chelsea.

"Alright, Amber," she said, holding her up. She held up her hand. "This is going to sting a bit." She placed her hand gently on the Little Sister's forehead.

"Are we going to Lilly Poppy?" Amber asked, confused.

Elizabeth smiled. "Better," she replied. "We're going home." She took a deep breath and closed her eyes.

Amber gasped. Her veins glowed a yellow color.

And then it was over. The Little Sister was no more. Instead, Elizabeth held in her arms a human girl.

Amber rubbed her eyes like she was being woken up from a dream.

"That hurt," she said matter-of-factly to Elizabeth.

"Yes, well, humanity hurts sometimes," Elizabeth replied, putting the former Little Sister down. "Come on—let's go help your mother."

* * *

The skin around the bullet wound had started to turn a strange color. Her veins were already showing signs of infection.

"This is bad," Tenenbaum said. "I barely have the proper medical tools to begin with, but this is practically beyond repair even if we were in a hospital."

"Long line of shit that's happened to me," Kat replied. She hadn't noticed her own daughter enter the bathysphere.

Elizabeth reached into her satchel and pulled out the vial of pure ADAM. "Will this work?"

Tenenbaum stood up and immediately inspected the vial. "ADAM in its cleanest form," she nodded. "Without the hallucinogens and chemical additives Ryan used. This is perfect."

"Don't get that crap near me." Kat was staring at the two with disbelief.

"Do you really want to lose your leg?" Tenenbaum asked. "On top of everything else?"

Amber, unseen by her mother, crawled up onto the bench and took Kat's hand. "It's okay, Mommy. Big Sister Lizzy will take care of you now."

Kat, startled, turned to stare at her daughter.

"She's a smart girl, Kat," Elizabeth commented.

The former Splicer could only reach out her hand and gently brush some of the girl's hair away from her face. After a moment, through tears, she pulled her daughter into a tight embrace.

Elizabeth looked at Tenenbaum. "Do it."

The doctor nodded as she unscrewed the cap on the vial and knelt down to Kat's leg.

"Wait!" Kat looked up, her eyes filled with terror once more.

Chelsea grabbed Kat's hand. "It's okay," she said tenderly. After considering it for a moment, she gently kissed the woman's hand.

Kat took a deep breath before looking at Tenenbaum. "Make it quick."

Elizabeth bent down and held Kat's legs in place as Tenenbaum poured the ADAM directly into the wound.

"Ow," Kat moaned. "Ow! OW!" Immediately her grip tightened around Chelsea's hand, which very clearly wasn't too pleasant for her, but she let it subside.

Tenenbaum stopped pouring. Almost immediately, the wound closed up, the skin cells were restored, and the veins turned to a more natural color.

"It could've been great as medical assistance on the surface," she said, looking at what was left of the ADAM. "May I keep this?" she added, looking at Elizabeth. "This might help out with my future research."

"Go ahead." Elizabeth sat down on the bench. "How do you feel?" she asked the former splicer.

Kat had taken to stroking Amber's back. "Better, actually."

Elizabeth reached into her satchel and pulled out a slightly soaked teddy bear. "He's…uh…been submerged," she apologized to Kat.

Amber looked up. "Mr. Fuzzy!" she exclaimed before grabbing it and adding it to the family hug.

Elizabeth looked over at Tenenbaum, who was watching the sight with a smile.

Somehow, against all odds, they'd managed to bring at least one shattered family together.

* * *

They stepped out of the bathysphere onto the lighthouse steps.

"Ah," Chelsea commented, squinting her eyes. "Never thought I'd see sunlight again. Never thought I wouldn't particularly enjoy it."

"Look mama!" Amber pointed at the gulls flying in the sky. "Birds! Do they sing?"

Kat laughed. "No, but I imagine they'd want to."

Tenenbaum looked out at the horizon. "Ryan's son was going to meet us out here nearly twelve hours ago…ah, there he is." She pointed to a small ship moored a few ways off in the distance. Reaching into her kit, she pulled out a flare gun and fired it off into the air.

The ship responded with a loud horn.

"So he'll be picking us up," Elizabeth observed.

"Hear that, Amy?" Kat asked, ruffling her daughter's hair. "We're going home."

Amber looked at the ship. "Where's Daddy?" she asked abruptly.

Kat opened her mouth, but couldn't say anything. She was at a loss for words.

Chelsea looked over at Elizabeth and Tenenbaum.

"Your call," Elizabeth advised.

After a moment, Chelsea bent down to Amber's level. "Your dad never stopped looking for you, Amy. Every night he would dream of one day seeing you again." She looked up at Kat, who silently nodded in approval. "And you'll see him again, Amy, it's only a matter of time. But…I can be your new dad." She held out her hand.

Kat looked up at Elizabeth. With a slight smile, she mouthed "thank you."

Amber stared at Chelsea for a moment. Then, instead of taking the woman's hand, she jumped forward and hugged her by the neck.

"You know what?" Chelsea called out to Elizabeth. "You did alright, Édith Piaf."

Kat stared at Chelsea as she got back up. "Sorry, 'new dad'?"

"As opposed to what? 'Other mom'?"

Kat shrugged. "I can live with that." And she abruptly pulled Chelsea in and kissed her on the lips.

Amber, sort of understanding what was going on, hugged both women by the legs.

Tenenbaum smiled. "It worked out in the end, no?" she observed. "You defeated your double, the girl and her mother were reunited, and two ex-girlfriends…" she hesitated, looking at Kat and Chelsea now chattering to each other over Amber. "…wives, now, really." She frowned slightly. "But with the political atmosphere in New York, not sure how that will stand."

"Yeah, not sure if it's wise to raise a little girl in the Village. I trust Ryan's son can find a place where no one will bother 'em."

"I'm sure he will. He loves the Little Sisters like his own children, but even he wishes they had their real parents with them. In the meantime, I can start working on reconstructing her face." Tenenbaum shook her head. "If Steinman had been the doctor who operated on her, she would be a completely lost cause. But third-degree burns, I think I can work with. And I don't think I'd ever say that if I hadn't been to Rapture myself."

"She's got a brother who escaped from Rapture out there somewhere––a musician, I think. Can we track him down?"

"That might be a little harder. There's no official record of the city, I doubt he would've put it on his resume. But you never know."

Elizabeth looked at her own suit. "Is there any way to get the ADAM out of my body? I've had it pumping in me for a little while now."

"Well, a few weeks of blood transfusions will do the trick. Ryan's son found me a position at NYU Medical Center, I can get the supplies necessary from there. Six weeks of them should be enough." She shrugged. "One problem solved. But I suppose the other problem is one you brought up to me back in the mall."

"Which is?"

Tenenbaum put her hands on her hips. "What comes next for you?"

Elizabeth looked at the doctor.

She thought about all the trouble Tenenbaum had gone through—to save the Little Sisters, to get Elizabeth and her friends out of Rapture, and all she would go through in the future to end the Rapture Nightmare.

She looked at Kat, Chelsea and Amber. She thought about how until today Kat's future looked grim—forever a Splicer in a mad city, right up to the moment she died; now a human who could hopefully live out her life in the real world. She thought about how Chelsea would've still been locked up inside the booth at the Riabko Theatre, condemned to play phantom concerts as Lamb took over the city. She thought about how Amber would've been gathering ADAM until some Splicer killed her, or worse, she became a Big Sister.

She looked at the Lighthouse. She thought about Rosalind and Robert Lutece's warning that she was now human to the end of her life, whenever that was.

She looked at the sky, and thought about the clouds above, clouds that in another world held a magnificent floating city, ruled by a tyrannical theocrat, doomed by his own daughter.

She looked at the sea, and thought about how somewhere below, the doomed social experiment of Andrew Ryan remained, forever opened to whatever came its way.

She looked off towards the horizon, to the setting sun.

She thought about every choice she made, every path she took, every door she opened, every future available.

Her fate had once been guaranteed: left for dead in a crumbling city with only a Little Sister as her companion. Buried alive, if you will, with no hope of redemption. And yet the Lutece Twins gave her that redemption. Thought the path had been a difficult one, she no longer faced an assured lonely demise. For the first time, Elizabeth had no firm ending. Her future was neither in her hands nor those of the Lutece Twins. Everything was completely left up to fate, and whatever cards fate dealt. A future of chance, a future of responsibilities, a future unknown.

The question was worth thinking about: What comes next for Elizabeth Comstock?

"Well," Elizabeth said with a sly grin. "Why don't we go and find out?"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

**_Buried Alive_ was originally just the first chapter, with Elizabeth getting out of the Vita-Chamber, taking the bathysphere to the Welcome Center, and joining Tenenbaum on the surface. But then I thought, "What if I stuck Sofia Lamb in and had her disrupt everything?" And so I wrote that. But then I thought, "What if Elizabeth meets a Splicer and helps redeem her?" And so I wrote that. But then I thought, "What if Elizabeth finds a Little Sister who just so happens to be that Splicer's daughter?" And so I wrote that. But then I thought, "What if the tear jump at the start of the story created _another_ Elizabeth?" And so...you get the picture.**

**I want to thank everyone who has followed along with _Buried Alive_. ****I started this story when I was a sophomore in high school, and I'm only finishing it now as a senior in the middle of college applications who currently wants to punch himself in the face, so, you know, it's been a journey. And I certainly hope it's been as much of a journey for you reading it as it has been for me writing it.  
**

**Here is a list of songs that Elizabeth heard or sang during her escape from Rapture.**

**"****The Masquerade Is Over" by the Cleftones.  
"****Nature Boy" by Nat King Cole.  
"****La Vie En Rose" by Édith Piaf.  
"****It's A Sin To Tell A Lie" by the Ink Spots.  
"****I Don't Want To Set The World On Fire" by the Ink Spots.  
And of course, ****"****A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square" by the Glenn Miller Orchestra.**


	28. Epilogue

**And that's the end of the story, I suppose.**

_The girl returns to Rapture, rescues the Little Sister, leaves, goes to New York, and lives on to an unforeseen future. _

**Dies, died, will die becomes "will eventually die at some date to be determined." **

_Yet one can't help but feel there are some unanswered questions.  
_

**When we sent Elizabeth off, what was the last thing she needed to do?  
**

_Where was the place that she went?  
_

**What was it that we already knew?  
**

_Did she find any sort of closure to something she pondered long ago? _

**Before her resurrection?  
**

_Before her death?  
_

**Before even arriving in Rapture?  
**

_Even before Booker made the decision to prevent the birth of one Zachary Hale Comstock?  
_

**Some mysteries of the universe must remain mysteries.  
**

_But not this one.  
_

* * *

**May, 1902: New York City**

The little girl looked up at the massive building, still under construction, that stood over Fifth Avenue.

"That building's thin," she said plainly.

"It sure is," her father agreed.

"How are all the fat people gonna fit in it?"

Her father laughed. "Well, they'll figure something out." Someone whistled, and he looked over to see a man in a black fedora. He bit his lip, fished into his pocket and handed his daughter a small coin. "Hey, why don't you get an ice cream cone while I go over there for a moment?"

"Okay, daddy!" And the girl went scurrying over to the nearby stand, ordering herself a chocolate cone.

She looked over at her father, who looked like he was having a serious conversation with someone. He was always so busy, what with his detective work. He was the cool dad, in her eyes.

The girl started making her way back to her father when she tripped over a piece of the sidewalk. She managed to stay upright, but her cone went flying out of her hands.

Before it could hit the ground and practically spoil the rest of her day, a hand shot out from the crowd of businessmen and paperboys, catching the cone just inches above the ground. The hand steadied for a moment, before bringing the cone back towards its owner.

"I think this is yours," a voice said.

The girl looked up to see a tall woman in a neat-looking dress standing above her.

"You have a nice face," the girl said matter-of-factly.

The woman laughed. "You'll get used to it," she said, handing the girl the cone. "Where's your father, little one?"

"Over there!" the girl replied, pointing back towards the building.

The woman nodded. "Well, let him know he has a wonderful little girl who cares for him very much. What's your name?"

"Anna! Anna DeWitt!"

"Well, Anna DeWitt, could you also give your father this?" She reached for her neck and plucked a small pendant off. She handed it to Anna. "Now I'd hurry back, or your dad will get worried."

"Okay!" Anna went running back through the crowd, making sure not to lose her cone, all the way to her father.

"Hmm, that took you a while," her father said. "Everything okay?"

"I almost dropped the cone, but some lady helped me!"

"Did you thank the lady?"

"I did! Oh, and she told me to give you this!"

Her father bent down and looked at the small pendant in Anna's hand. "Why would she––" he stopped in mid-speech upon seeing what was on the pendant: the carved image of a bird.

"Where was this lady?" he asked, staring at the pendant.

"Over there!" Anna replied, pointing back towards the ice cream stand.

Her father looked up. The woman was in the middle of the gaggle of people walking around the square, staring directly at him. She didn't smile.

The two kept their eyes on each other for a long time.

"Someone you know?" the man in the black fedora asked.

"Hang on a minute." Finally, the detective raised his hand and waved.

The woman gave a weak smile and waved back, before a bus drove by, blocking her from the detective's view.

The man in the black fedora cleared his throat. "So, uh…Booker…are we gonna finish this or…?"

Booker was not paying attention. He was trying to catch one last glimpse of the woman, one last reminder of a life that, all things considered, never happened.

The bus disappeared down the street, apparently having gone along with the woman. There was no sign she had even been there.

"Booker? Who was that lady?"

Booker looked at the pendant in his hand, then at this daughter, who was in the middle of licking her cone. "Just...someone from my past," he said, pocketing the pendant. "Or future...or maybe another thing entirely." He turned to the man in the black fedora. "You know what, why don't we have this conversation another day, Ken?"

Ken looked surprised. "What? But I thought we needed to close up this whole business!"

"Not now…maybe it's best we leave it up to other people to decide how this'll end." Booker gripped Anna's hand. "Maybe we'll do this some other time. I'd like to see what you else you can come up with down the line."

Anna waved. "Bye bye, Mr. Levine!"

And on that note, the detective and his daughter disappeared into the crowd of people walking down 23rd Street.


End file.
